- Steve McClellan

NEW YORK Doug Checkeris, CEO of WPP Group's MediaCom U.S., has been promoted to CEO North America, a new position at the agency.

The move is part of a plan to strengthen regional management in an effort to better organize the agency's resources to serve and attract regional and global clients, the shop said.

With Checkeris' promotion, the MediaCom Canada CEO Amanda Ploughman will now report to him. Previously, she had reported directly to Stephen Allan, MediaCom's worldwide chairman and CEO. Checkeris continues to report directly to Allan.

Checkeris has been in the MediaCom organization most of his career. He was promoted to U.S CEO in October 2007 and previously ran the Canadian operation.

"Over the past year, Doug has made strong progress in the U.S., achieving significant growth, enhancing the management team and strengthening our client partnerships," said Allan. "Of course, with his background, he also has great familiarity with Canada and was instrumental in building the tremendous success that we have had in that country. As such, he is uniquely qualified for this new role."

Before Checkeris took over the U.S. operation, the shop had been in a slump, losing important clients like Kmart ($200 million) and Danone ($75 million). Over the past year, under his stewardship, the shop has won significant new business, including GlaxoSmithKline's $1 billion planning account, the $200 million New Line Cinema business and the $90 million Discover Financial account, among others.

Commenting on his promotion, Checkeris said: "I see tremendous opportunity to build on the strength of both organizations, and to share best practices in planning, implementation and operations."