Meet the team

Stephen Blackman is a Senior Economic Advisor, working in the Microeconomics 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.

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.

Thorsten Fischer joined RBS in October 2005 as a Senior Economic Adviser. An applied micro-economist, who has published in peer-reviewed economic journals, his areas of specialisation include natural resources, environmental issues and transportation. Thorsten is also interested in risk management (he is a certified Financial Risk Manager), public policy and regulation. He regularly presents to internal and external audiences. After gaining a first diploma in business administration and economics from Osnabrück University in Germany, Thorsten left his home country to earn a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business, where he also worked as an instructor of economics and international business. After graduation, he spent five years at an independent economic consultancy in Pennsylvania.

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).

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.

Julien Seetharamdoo is a Senior Economic Advisor, focusing on the US. Julien holds a first-class degree in economics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in economics from the Management School, Lancaster University. He joined RBS in November 2005, initially covering the Eurozone and now covering the US. Prior to that, Julien worked for two years as an international economist at Capital Economics Ltd. focusing on the Eurozone and ECB policy-making. He has also worked in project finance in Asia.

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.