McCann Worldwide has appointed Mitch Caplan as its first North American chief marketing officer.  Mr. Caplan will be leaving his CMO position at WPP's Y&R to help grow new business opportunities for McCann in the U.S.  The Interpublic Group agency is making a strong commitment to building its new business leadership and winning new accounts.  The Midwest office recently hired  Barbara Yolles, formerly at Kirshenbaum Bond + Senecal Partners, to grow business in that region.

Mr. Caplan will be working closely with McCann's North American president, Robert LePlae, and will be responsible for Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Canada.  Caplan played a critical role in the consolidation of Dell's global marketing activities at WPP. His departure from Y&R comes at a vulnerable time for the shop which has been unsuccessful in recent attempts to win new business pitches.