STAMFORD, Conn. & ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc. and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WW - News) today announced that their respective Boards of Directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt will combine in a merger of equals to form a new, publicly listed company called Towers Watson & Co. Based on the closing price of Watson Wyatt common stock on June 26, 2009, the implied equity value of the transaction is approximately $3.5 billion. Watson Wyatt Chief Executive Officer John Haley will serve the combined company as Chief Executive Officer; Towers Perrin Chief Executive Officer Mark Mactas will serve as President.

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“The combination of Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt into Towers Watson will create one of the world’s leading professional services firms, well positioned for sustained growth and profitability across all geographies and business segments,” said Mr. Haley. “The combination will further strengthen our core service lines while offering our clients an enhanced portfolio of proven offerings across a range of financial, risk and people management areas. Towers Watson will have tremendous global reach and service breadth to meet the growing needs of the world’s largest multinational corporations. As we provide more value for our clients, we in turn create value for our people and our shareholders.”

Mark Mactas, Chief Executive Officer of Towers Perrin, said, “This is an important transaction for our respective organizations that positions us well for a future of accelerated growth and higher levels of profitability. The fit between our firms is excellent, starting with a deep commitment to client service and shared values of integrity, professionalism and respect. Our service lines and geographic strengths are also highly complementary, which creates great opportunities for growth. We couldn’t be more excited about this combination, which will change the landscape of our industry.”

Towers Watson, which is expected to have annual revenues in excess of $3 billion, will benefit from the scale of the combined companies and anticipates approximately $80 million in pretax annual synergies. While significant savings are expected during the first two years following completion of the transaction, it is anticipated that full realization of synergies will take three years and cost approximately $80 million. Towers Watson will also have significant non-cash expenses during the first two years following completion of the transaction. The transaction is expected to be accretive to diluted earnings per share within three years following the consummation of the transaction.