History

Towers Watson was forged from the decades of experience, innovation and clients-first philosophy that were hallmarks of both Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt. Although our vision is firmly fixed on the future, our roots go back 130 years. Below is a brief history. 

• 1871: Towers Perrin’s predecessor firm, Henry W. Brown & Co., was founded. Our founders (John Towers, Charles Perrin, H. Walter Forster, Arthur Crosby, H. Pratt Weaver and Walter J. Chase) were already making their mark on American business.
• 1878: Reuben Watson formed the U.K. actuarial firm R Watson & Sons in 1878 when the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows appointed him actuary and he carried out valuations for a number of other societies, including the Royal Liver which, like the Manchester Unity, is still a client of Towers Watson today.
• 1934: Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby — TPF&C, for short — incorporated in Philadelphia, Pa., on February 13. The firm opened for business with 26 employees and Walter Chase, whose specialty was reinsurance, as president. The firm initially operated a Reinsurance Division and Life Division and eventually began to specialize in pensions and other employee benefit plans.
• 1946: The U.S.-based Wyatt Company was established by B.E. Wyatt and seven co-founders. Over the next several decades, the firm branched out into other service lines, including healthcare and compensation consulting.
• 1987: Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby began doing business as Towers Perrin.
• 1995: R Watson & Sons and The Wyatt Company forged an alliance, forming Watson Wyatt, one of the largest consulting firms of its kind. The company had worldwide operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
• 2000: Watson Wyatt went public with its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
• 2007: Watson Wyatt Worldwide listed on NASDAQ.
• 2009: Towers Perrin celebrated its 75^thanniversary on February 13. 
• January 4, 2010: Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt merged to become Towers Watson — a global company that shares a common set of values and a singular focus on our clients. The company is listed on NYSE and NASDAQ as TW.

To learn more about Towers Watson's offerings, visit towerswatson.com/services.

For additional details about the history of our legacy firms, click here.