One on One with Pearl Meyer's Steven Van Putten

As Consulting predicted last summer, the mega-combination of Watson Wyatt and Towers Perrin has indeed led to the departure of some of the firms' top talent. One of the most senior departures, to date, has been Steven Van Putten, North America East Region Practice Leader of Watson Wyatt's Executive Compensation Consulting Practice and North American practice director of the firm's performance metrics and measurement group. Independence rules prevent the same consultancy from advising management and the board on executive compensation, making departures like Van Putten's all the more likely as conflicts are resolved. Consulting's One-on-One recently sat down with Van Putten to better understand his new role as a managing director for executive compensation specialist Pearl Meyer & Partners.

Consulting: Why did you leave Towers Watson?

Van Putten: Generally, I think, for what the firm is trying to accomplish, joining with Towers Perrin makes a lot of sense. The combined firm is now better positioned to provide integrated solutions for its clients. As companies becoming more global, they want to work with consulting firms that are also large and global. However, the deal didn't make sense for me. Because of my role as a compensation consultant the merger created challenges to my role as an independent advisor.