The economic impact of conflict in the Middle East

Ben May is a Director of Global Macroeconomic Research at Oxford Economics and is involved in the production and presentation of the company’s global macroeconomic views, with a leading role in our coverage of the advanced economies. Ben joined Oxford Economics in April 2014. He has over 15 years’ experience as a macro economist in the public and private sector and has over a decade’s expertise covering the Eurozone economy.

Before joining the Global Macro team, Ben worked on the Eurozone team at Oxford Economics. In addition to his working covering broad Eurozone issues he was also responsible for research on the ECB and Germany. Prior to joining Oxford Economics, Ben spent over six years at Capital Economics and was responsible for the coverage of the southern Eurozone economies throughout the Eurozone crisis. Before that, he spent seven years at the Bank of England, working in three divisions of the Monetary Analysis area of the Bank, which provides research and analysis for the Monetary Policy Committee. Ben has a BSc in Economics with Statistics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Economics from University College London.

Ryan Sweet is the Global Chief Economist|Managing Director at Oxford Economics where he helps shape and coordinate the team’s global economic analysis and forecasting. Previously, Ryan was the Chief US Economist and led a team that was among the most accurate high-frequency forecasters of the economy.

Prior to joining Oxford Economics, Ryan spent 17 years at Moody’s Analytics as a member of the U.S. macroeconomics team and was also a co-host of the Inside Economics podcast. Ryan has also been an adjunct professor in the Economics and Finance Department at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Ryan received a master’s degree in finance from John’s Hopkins University, a master’s degree in economics from the University of Delaware, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington College.

Bridget is Head of Energy Forecasting. She leads the production of oil, gas, coal, and refined fuel forecasts for our Commodities Service and shapes Oxford Economics’ view on energy markets through analysis of key trends and developments.

Bridget joined Oxford Economics from the energy consultancy Flow&Ebb, where she supported corporate and industrial users with energy hedging, procurement, investment, and strategy. Prior to that, she worked in the Victoria State Government Department of Treasury and Finance, focusing on energy and climate policy.

She holds a Master of Development Economics from Victoria University of Wellington and a Bachelor of Business (Economics) from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Azad joined Oxford Economics in July 2025 as Head of GCC Macroeconomic Analysis, where he is responsible for leading thematic research for the GCC region.Before joining Oxford Economics, Azad spent over 15 years as a Senior Economist & Strategist at global asset manager Schroders where he was responsible for formulating the house view on the UK and European economies. Later he co-led the team, taking a more global role, and focusing on thematic issues such as demographics, AI and automation, geopolitics and climate change. Prior to this, Azad spent five years at HM Treasury specialising in the UK’s Businesses Sector including international trade, and Eastern European Economies.