The move is part of a wholesale restructuring of AOL's commercial operations to revolve around Platform A, its ad-targeting business that was launched in Europe last month.
Platform A incorporates existing AOL advertising operations, such as ad network Advertising.com, into a marketing network with a reach of 125 million online consumers in Europe.
Steckler's new role involves heading Platform A's constituent companies that include behavioural targeting firm Tacoda, as well as AOL's commercial operations.
Steckler, newly named head of Platform A in the UK, said the changes meant Platform A gave AOL "one of the largest online marketplaces around".
"It means we can have one conversation about our vast array of ad services and it makes it simpler for agencies and advertisers - that's the main driver for doing this," he added.
At the same time, Kevin Cornils, current managing director of AOL's Advertising.com and Buy.at, who was appointed only in April, is to leave the company in August.
He will stay in place for between 30 and 60 days to aid the integration of the recently purchased Buy.at into Platform A.
An internal memo distributed by Brendan Condon, head of Platform A's international operations, outlines wholesale changes at the online publisher, reflecting a three-division structure incorporating the ad platform, the publishing platform and the people network, following its recent acquisition of social network Bebo.
The entire AOL UK ad staff will be housed in Platform A, and Steckler's previous role of managing director of AOL UK will not be replaced.
All AOL UK staff, who will primarily work on content, will report to Dana Dunne, chief executive of AOL Europe.
Duncan George will become head of agency sales at Platform A, a role he previously held at AOL UK, and the rest of the AOL UK commercial team will work under Steckler and George.
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