Who We Are

You are on: Craig Wright

Craig Wright, Senior Vice President & Chief Economist

As chief economist, Craig leads a team of economists providing economic, fixed income and foreign exchange research to RBC clients. Craig is a regular contributor to a number of RBC publications and is a key player in delivering economic analysis to clients and the media through the Economics Department’s regular economic briefings.

A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Toronto, Craig was appointed Chief Economist in 2001 having joined RBC 1994 after working at another financial institution for seven years. Craig is a participant in a number of the key RBC internal committees and is a member of the CD Howe Monetary Policy Council, Wilfrid Laurier School of Business and Economics Dean’s Advisory Council and the British Columbia Economic Forecast Council.

Craig and his wife Susan live in Toronto with their three children Emily, Bradley and Jacob.

You are on: Dawn Desjardins

Dawn Desjardins, Vice President & Deputy Chief Economist

Dawn Desjardins joined the Royal Bank Economics team in January 2006 as a senior economist. She is responsible for the macroeconomic and interest rate forecasts for Canada and the U.S. Previously, Dawn worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Financial News in Toronto covering the Canadian bond and currency markets. She was also the Canadian bond market strategist for a major U.S. bank for ten years. Dawn is a graduate of the University of Toronto.

You are on: Paul Ferley

Paul Ferley, Assistant Chief Economist

As Assistant Chief Economist, Paul is responsible for the analysis and forecasting of macroeconomic and financial market developments in Canada, the United States and key overseas economies and is a regular contributor to a number of RBC publications.

A graduate of Queen’s University and the University of Manitoba, Paul joined the Economics Department of RBC in 2007 after working for twenty years at another major financial institution where he was responsible for generating the macroeconomic outlook for the United States, Canada and Canadian regional economies. Paul started his professional career as an economist in the Research Department at the Bank of Canada.

Paul is a member of the Economic Policy Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and former member on the Editorial Board of Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de politiques. Paul is also Past President and Director of the Toronto Association of Business and Economics (TABE).

You are on: Robert Hogue

Robert Hogue, Senior Economist

Robert Hogue is a member of the Macroeconomic and Regional Analysis Group, with RBC Economics Research. He is responsible for providing analysis and forecasts for the Canadian housing market and for the provincial economies. His publications include Housing Trends and Affordability, Provincial Outlook and provincial budget commentaries. In his functions, he is frequently called to comment on the economy both internally within RBC and externally with clients and the media.

Mr. Hogue joined RBC in May 2008 after spending 15 years with another Canadian financial institution as a senior economist specializing in industrial analysis. At the outset of his career, he spent four years as an economist with Ontario Hydro, where he specialized in industrial and macroeconomic analysis. Mr. Hogue holds a Master’s degree in economics from Queen’s University and a Bachelor’s degree from Université de Montréal.

You are on: Nathan Janzen

Nathan Janzen, Senior Economist

Nathan has been with RBC since 2008 with a focus on covering the macroeconomic outlook for Canada and the United States. He has a MA in economics from McMaster University and a BA in economics from the University of Regina.

You are on: Laura Cooper

Laura Cooper, Economist

As an economist for RBC Economics Research since 2012, Laura primarily focuses on monitoring provincial economies and contributing to research pertaining to public policy issues. She is also responsible for providing commentaries on the provincial budgets. Laura holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from McMaster University.

You are on: Josh Nye

Josh Nye, Economist

Josh joined RBC Economics Research as an economist in 2012. He holds a bachelor of arts (honours) in economics from the University of Western Ontario and a master of science in economics from the London School of Economics.

You are on: Gerard Walsh

Gerard Walsh, Economist

Gerard joined RBC Economics Research as an economist in 2014. He holds a bachelor of arts with honours in economics from Dalhousie University and the University of King's College and a master of financial economics from the University of Toronto.