IRELAND – Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow has bought Irish employee benefits consultancy Becketts, citing “natural synergies”.

A spokesman for Hewitt, part of US-based Hewitt Associates, declined to disclose the price, saying the sum was “not material” to the company.

Rachael Ingle, director of Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow said: "Our two businesses are highly complementary and this integration brings natural synergies.”

Becketts was set up in 1989. The new business will trade as Hewitt & Becketts with Kieran Barry as managing director. It will operate from the existing premises of Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow in Dublin and Becketts’ office in Cork.

“A larger business will allow us to compete more aggressively in the Irish pensions consultancy market but our focus will continue, as always, to be on the quality of service afforded to our clients,” Ingle added. “This we see as our key point of differentiation."

Becketts’ Barry said: "The new business will enable clients to benefit from the resources of a global firm, combined with a strong, personalised and committed approach in Ireland.

"Our ambition for the business going forward is to become the provider of choice for organisations on all matters relating to pensions, investment and human resource consulting.”

Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow’s (Ireland) Ltd was formed through the integration of Hewitt Associates and Delany, Bacon & Woodrow in June 2002.