Former City trader with a keen eye for investment.(Brief Article)

Jon Claydon's ambition is a driving force behind the agency, Ian Darby reveals

Jon Claydon used to control the diets of millions in third world countries. As a commodities trader in the late 80s, he ran the City company Cargill's rice trading division from Geneva. If he got things wrong a lot of people went without dinner.

In comparison, running a direct marketing agency may seem like small fry but, as last week's deal with Agency.com shows, Claydon Heeley Jones Mason has serious ambitions.

The agency has teamed up with its fellow Omnicom operation to launch Agency Republic, which will run as a separate entity offering on- and offline solutions. Claydon goes to great lengths to stress the scale of the deal: "We didn't want to bring in two or three interactive people to launch a department or do a deal with web builders. We can link our consumer insights into Agency.com's resources of 1,500 people."

The Agency.com deal is the latest in a series of developments that has turned the original Claydon Heeley operation from the archetypal sales promotion agency into a serious player with top planning and creative credentials employing 206 people and an income of 17 million [pounds sterling]. Much of this credit must go to Claydon, who at heart is still a trader. As he puts it: "I launch lifeboats and see what happens."

Claydon, 39, is well aware of his reputation as a City wide-boy who is not interested in creative product. He defends himself by likening his role to that of a football manager who employs star defenders and centre-forwards to do the good work.

Since launching Claydon Heeley in 1991, Claydon and his management team have succeeded in transforming the agency far beyond its original focus. The catalyst for change came with its sale to Omnicom in March 1998, a move that allowed Claydon Heeley to work closely with other Omnicom agencies. The founders have just finished their earnout, pocketing several million pounds each.