The HR supergroup
What happens when two of the oldest and most prominent actuarial consultancies meet in the middle of a recession?  They form Towers Watson, a company combining the strengths and assets of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt Worldwide after years of direct competition between the two.  The merger promises to create a giant in the field, with over 14,000 employees and multiple offices on every continent but Antarctica.  Its practices will remain focused on human resources, and risk and financial management--areas which remain in high demand even as the global economy begins a slow march out of the recession.

In mid-2009, both Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt agreed to what was billed as a "merger of equals," creating one powerhouse that would possess twice th...