Heron was previously the agency's Hong Kong chairman and regional strategic planning director.
In his new role, Heron - who has been with the network for more than 10 years, initially in South Africa, then London and more recently in Hong Kong - will also be responsible for strategic planning for the China region.
His appointment comes amid strong growth for TBWA in the country, especially among clients such as Nutricia, Nivea, adidas, Haagen-Dazs and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.
TBWA's recent win of a sizeable chunk of the Mars business from D'Arcy's is expected to further strengthen its position on the mainland. In its 2001 report, the China Advertising Association ranked TBWA Shanghai as the 36th largest agency, with billings of Rmb 135 million (US$16.4 million).
The agency's Asia-Pacific chairman, Keith Smith, said: "China has always been a key priority for TBWA. We have simply added to our existing investments given China's growing global importance."
Added Heron: "Beijing and Shanghai are moving forward positively and we are starting to see returns on investments. I can say in general that China seems to be turning the corner and we want to keep the momentum going for the agency."
Heron said that the challenge in China now was to push TBWA's specialty branding technique, Disruption, as a strategic tool for clients to gain a competitive advantage.
He added: "China is too tactical in nature but the marketplace is evolving to such an extent that there is a need for solid planning and branding initiatives for clients, both local and multinational."
There will be no formal changes to TBWA's Hong Kong management structure, however, managing director, Neil Ducray, has taken over as the head of the agency in Hong Kong.
