Heron joins TBWA from China, where he was responsible for establishing TBWA and the agency's reputation as a creative and strategic agency in the Chinese market. He was also responsible for building a multi-division, multi-offer company. Under his leadership, TBWA\China was awarded China's first Gold Cannes Lion.
Speaking at a video conference from China, born-and-bred South African Heron said he was looking forward to coming back home and to assuming his duties in 1 February 2009 next year. “It is a great time to be going home. The focus will be on creating an environment of creativity, and work on improving TBWA creative rankings and put the agency on top where it used to be.
“We managed to [do] that in China where there was no history of creativity and [a] lack of confidence. TBWA has always been an agency that celebrates the individual. It's an agency that really appreciates people who may not fit into a specific role.”
Group COO Derek Bouwer said, “Gavin's appointment is a real coup for TBWA and we are excited to welcome him back to TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris. We are confident that someone of his level and experience in the TBWA\ global network and in the Asian tiger economies will prove to be of tremendous value to TBWA and its clients.”
During his appointment as CEO of TBWA\China, Heron expanded operations to include Tequila\Auditoire, a premium- and large scale events group; agency.com, a digital marketing agency; and Integer, a retail and shopper marketing agency. The staff complement has expanded from 100 people to over 350.
“Gavin will work closely with the leadership team, initially getting to grips with the business and then driving growth for TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris and its clients into the future,” added Bouwer.
