Dr. Imad Sandid, PharmD, PhD in Medical Biology, started his career in 1988 as a hospital laboratory practitioner in medical biology. Since 1992, he has been working in the field of blood transfusion and built up a broad range of expertise, both nationally and internationally. At French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), he holds several positions, including team manager for the regulation and traceability of blood components; and national manager of database coding for Blood Establishment codes, blood component codes and biological analysis codes. He also serves as the project manager for the e-FIT, secure electronic haemovigilance reporting system, and coordination of national vigilances (haemovigilance, medical devices vigilance and in vitro device vigilance); and national haemovigilance officer (since 2008). In addition, Sandid is a board member on the French Advisory Group (FAG), where he is responsible for the surveillance of emerging agents that are potentially transmissible by Substances of Human Origin (SoHO). He serves as the national coordinator for annual reports and surveys (European Commission, Council of Europe, WHO and International Haemovigilance Network), as well. Sandid has been instrumental in establishing strategic plans and procedures for blood Establishment inspections; external quality control of blood components (laboratory of the competent authority for blood); and protocols for evaluating blood components for quality, safety and efficacy. Additionally, Sandid holds pivotal roles in strengthening European and other international haemovigilance initiatives as an expert in the field, as well as a representative of the French haemovigilance system. He contributes his expertise to the group of the Competent Authorities on Substances of Human Origin Expert Group (CASoHO) since 2000, as well as several European working groups ─ the vigilance working sub-group, the working group on the exchange of surplus blood between European countries, the working group on a rapid alert platform for haemovigilance in Europe and the working group on the surveillance of emerging transfusion-transmissible agents that can be transmitted by SoHO (preparedness plans for WNV, Zika etc.).