Meet the team

Stephen Blackman is a Senior Economic Advisor, working in the Macroeconomics team. Stephen manages the UK household sector for Group Economics. From 2003-2007 Stephen worked at the Department for Work and Pensions where he helped to implement policy on private pensions, welfare reform and various labour market issues. Prior to that Stephen worked in academia after completing his studies at the University of London.

Stephen Boyle is Head of Group Economics. Group Economics provides economic advice to business, credit and strategy functions across RBS. The team is focused on understanding the trends in the economy and what they mean for the Group and its customers in the different markets and geographies they operate in.

Educated at Glasgow and McGill Universities, Stephen first worked at RBS from 1996-2001 as Head of Business Economics. He returned to RBS in 2006, having established Futureskills Scotland - the Scottish government's labour market analysis unit - and led the economics and evaluation functions of Scottish Enterprise. He has also worked in universities and was director of an economic consulting business.

Sebastian Burnside is an Economic Advisor in the Microeconomics team. He joined Group Economics in September 2009 having previously worked for Ofcom, the communications regulator, and in consultancy. He provides analysis across a number of areas, including the household sector. Sebastian has particular interest in the application of quantitative techniques to real-world problems, including econometric and economic modelling. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, a first class degree from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Economics from the University of Edinburgh, with distinction.

Fionnuala Earley is a UK Consumer Economist in Group Economics. Previously she was Chief Economist at Nationwide Building Society where she was responsible for the Nationwide House Price Index and became a well known and respected media commentator on housing market issues. Fionnuala worked as a senior economist at the Council of Mortgage Lenders and gained experience of European housing and mortgage markets as head of Research and Statistics at the European Mortgage Federation in Brussels.

She trained as a government economist at the Financial Services Authority, Department for Business and Enterprise and the Office of Fair Trading and has economics degrees from the University of Cardiff and the University of Southampton.

David Fenton is Head of Microeconomics at RBS. This team monitors developments across the corporate and the household sectors, with a view to identifying risks and opportunities for RBS and its customers. He presents regularly to seminars, conferences and the media. Prior to running the Micro team, David worked on the Macro team, where he covered broader trends in the UK economy. Before joining RBS in 2002, David was a consultant in Ernst & Young's corporate finance team (1999-2002). He has a Masters degree in economics from Glasgow University.

Robert Gardner is the Head of the Macroeconomics Team. The team provides strategic advice and forecasts to the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and its customers. Robert's primary focus is on the UK economy, but he has also held responsibility for the United States and the major Eurozone economies during his six years at RBS. He also spent time in New York working in the Group's Financial Markets division.

Prior to joining the Group Robert worked for four years as an Emerging Markets Economist (covering Latin America and Asia) for a large UK financial institution and has also worked as an Economic Advisor at HM Treasury. He holds a first class honours degree and a Masters in Economic Management and Policy (with distinction).

Mindaugas Lepeska is a Economic Advisor, working in the Macroeconomics team. Mindaugas holds a first class degree in economics from Southampton University, and received a scholarship to read his Masters in Economics at the London School of Economics. He also spent a semester studying mathematics at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mindaugas provides forecasting and advice on a variety of global macroeconomic issues.

Andrew holds a first class honours degree in Economics and Politics, and won the prestigious Walter Bagehot Best UK Dissertation prize for his 1993 doctoral thesis. After several years working in academia, he was a corporate finance advisor with Ernst and Young before joining the RBS Group. Andrew is a member of the University of Nottingham Globalisation and Economic Policy Advisory Board and a visiting professor at the University of Glasgow. He also sits on the CBI Economic and Tax Affairs Committee.

David Rea is an Economic Advisor in the Microeconomic team covering global sectors and retail banking. David joined Group Economics in September 2007 after gaining a first class degree and masters in economics at Warwick University. Between periods of study he has worked for a government think tank and spent two years in Japan.

Mark has worked as a professional economist for over 12 years. He has worked in a variety of roles for the UK civil service, the international aviation sector and the banking sector, covering a wide range of macro-economic, microeconomic and financial issues. His current role is as a Senior Economic Advisor in RBS Group Economics, providing analysis and advice on a range of industry sectors.