Opinion: Perspective - Stolkin/Kendall Tarrant deal is a mixed blessing.(Column)

Being an employee of either Kendall Tarrant or Stolkin + Partners is probably going to feel a little weird over the next couple of months.

The two headhunters have been deadly rivals for the past few years yet now, with a merger on the near horizon, are set to become the best of friends.

The two companies occupy different positions in the market. Kendall Tarrant's historical dominance and international scale mean it will appear on most chief executives' speed dials. Stolkin, meanwhile, has been careful to position itself as the caring David, a hard-working alternative to Kendall Tarrant's Goliath.

Stolkin + Partners call themselves talent managers, not headhunters.

Such semantics may make the more cynical among us cringe, but at least the moniker reveals an ability to identify what is important for Stolkin's clients. This is something that has seen the challenger brand grow to its current position, one that is widely expected to see its people dominate Kendall Tarrant going forward.

More importantly, Stolkin will add the all-important next generation of agency heads to Kendall Tarrant's client list. Gary Stolkin, and his associate Lucy Meredith, have worked very hard over the past five years to build working relationships with heads of account management, creatives and managing directors. It's a people business and Stolkin is well-liked and trusted by his clients, in much the same way as Gay Haines at Kendall Tarrant is by hers.

Headhunting is also a generational business. While many of the agency chiefs currently in jobs were put there by Haines, her ties to agency staff lower down the pecking order are more limited. As the people with whom she has built the strongest of relationships begin to retire or move out of the business, her influence will start to wane.