Sotheby’s announced today that Benjamin Doller has been appointed to join Lisa Dennison and George Wachter as one of its three chairmen of Sotheby’s Americas. He begins immediately. (The house also has three chairmen in Europe: Oliver Barker, Mario Tavella, and Philipp Württemberg.)

“I’m excited,” Doller told Artinfo. “I’ve absolutely loved my time here. I believe tremendously in the auction process.”

Doller started with Sotheby’s in 1979, in the accounting department. Not long after, he moved to 19th-century paintings as a cataloguer. In 1986, he became an auctioneer, studying under John Marion, a respected figure in the field, who served as the house’s chairman from 1974 through 1995.

“More than anything, I loved the discoveries,” Doller said of his time as an auctioneer. “I loved going to a small town in middle-America, not expecting to find anything, then coming across a great painting.

“And there are always surprises. I remember selling an Alma-Tadema painting in 2010. It was estimated to go for $3 million to $5 million and ended up selling for $35 million.”

Doller became head of specialists in 2001, an appointment he considers a major turning point in his career. “It gave me great perspective on the entire business,” he said, and shaped his current approach to clients, whom he characterizes as interested in holistic, cross-categorical collecting. After being named vice chairman in 2006, Doller gave up management responsibilities to focus on clients and high-level deal making.

It’s estimated that Doller has sold more than $2 billion in art during his 37-year career.