Archives: Speakers

Erica McEwan is an award-winning Production Designer, creative lead and visual storyteller with 20+ years’ experience shaping the look, feel and meaning of film and television. Working across production, development and post, she brings a rare end-to-end view of how ideas become worlds, and how those worlds influence what audiences believe is possible.

Fusing graphic design, motion graphics, identity and live-action craft, Erica’s speciality is visualising “near-future” realities: taking complex themes like automation, surveillance, connected infrastructure and systemic failure and turning them into believable environments you can step into. She doesn’t just design sets; she designs the visual logic of a world, making the abstract feel inevitable.

Her career highlights include work across the first 19 Black Mirror films, HBO’s His Dark Materials, Doctor Who, and most recently the BBC and Disney+ limited series The War Between the Land and the Sea. Erica’s work, and the work of her teams has been recognised by BAFTA, the Art Directors Guild and the Royal Television Society.

At the Digital Transformation in Insurance Conference, Erica brings an “out-of-industry” lens to the panel Insurance Black Mirror “Stress testing the failure models, so innovation doesn’t backfire”, introducing a session that explores what happens when IoT, AI and automation create new systemic risks, and why resilience, governance and thoughtful design are the rails that stop innovation becoming a single point of failure.

Laila is a Senior Strategist with Sanova, a regulatory and scientific consultancy specializing in PMTAs, MRTPAs, SEs, and other tobacco and nicotine product submissions. With extensive regulatory expertise spanning both public and private sectors, Laila brings over a decade of direct experience from FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), where she held leadership roles developing and reviewing premarket tobacco application requirements. She notably planned, directed, and evaluated high-profile premarket application review programs, solidifying her deep understanding of integrating science and regulations.

At Sanova, Laila guides clients through the ever-evolving tobacco product application landscape, with a focus on novel delivery systems. As an expert in regulatory strategy, Laila focuses on transforming complex regulatory challenges into strategic advantages through practical execution to support innovative product development, regulatory submission, and ongoing regulatory adherence in highly challenging sectors.  Laila also leads Sanova’s literature review cost share program, which is designed to make regulatory compliance more practical and accessible to industry.

Beyond her significant tenure at the FDA, Laila also served in the private sector with Juul Labs, working on complex regulatory submissions for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Here, she applied her project management and regulatory acumen to foster collaboration within intricate, highly regulated operations, including managing product integrity programs to ensure regulatory alignment.

Laila holds an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University, a Master’s certificate in Project Management from George Washington University, and a PMP certification. She is also a proud member of Organization of Women in Nicotine and Tobacco (OWNiT).

Osama Khan is a dynamic physician, consultant, and medical leader at the forefront of innovation in pathology and healthcare. A Stanford-trained Genitourinary Pathologist, Osama earned the prestigious Stanford Clinical Fellow Teaching Award for his groundbreaking contributions to medical education. His leadership and advocacy in pathology have earned him a spot on the American Society of Clinical Pathology’s (ASCP) “Top 40 Under 40” list, recognizing his transformative impact on pathology and laboratory medicine. Additionally, he has been honored with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Leadership Award for his forward-thinking approach and commitment to the field. Currently, Osama serves as an Anatomical Pathologist at Natera, a trailblazer in cell-free DNA technology for detecting minimal residual disease in oncology patients. He is also spearheading the company’s digital pathology solutions, integrating cutting-edge technologies to shape the future of pathology practice. Osama also has expertise in digital workflows especially Artificial Intelligence within Healthcare and Pathology. Dr. Khan also provides expert consultation to top pharmaceutical, healthcare, and life sciences companies around the globe, helping to drive innovation and shape the future of medicine. A dual-board certified Anatomical Pathologist in both Canada and the US, Osama’s expertise spans digital pathology, artificial intelligence, healthcare consulting, and medical leadership. With a passion for mentoring, education, and scientific advancement, he excels in medical writing, physician coaching, and the development of next-generation healthcare solutions. Osama’s unique blend of clinical excellence, technological innovation, and leadership makes him a driving force in shaping the future of medicine.

Dr. Thomas F. Miller is Vice President & Global Head, Acute, Chronic and Pediatric Disease Nucleus in Bayer’s Pharmaceutical Division, a role he assumed earlier this year. He joined Bayer in 2017 to create and effectuate their Pediatric Clinical Development function. In total, Dr. Miller’s career in the life science industry spans more than 27 years, with a primary focus on the development of therapeutics, medical devices and combination products for pediatric and rare disease patients.  Prior to joining Bayer, Dr. Miller served in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer of Therabron Therapeutics, Inc. with oversight of all operational functions for the company (R&D, manufacturing, quality, regulatory affairs, etc.). While at Therabron, he oversaw their clinical program through Phase 2 completion for their lead molecule (orphan pediatric disease) and secured both the Rare Pediatric Disease and Fast Track designations for this program. Prior to Therabron, Dr. Miller served in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Laboratories, Inc. During his tenure, the company successfully secured marketing authorization for their first approved therapeutic, successfully registered their first medical device and advanced multiple rare disease pipeline programs into the clinic. Earlier, Dr. Miller served in operational roles of increasing responsibility at Pfizer, Novartis, BASF Pharma, and Johnson & Johnson. He received his doctorate from the Temple University School of Medicine, his MBA from Fairleigh Dickenson University and his bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University. Dr. Miller has authored several peer-reviewed publications, given numerous presentations at scientific symposia and is an inventor with an issued and licensed patent in the field of pediatric respiratory drug delivery

Chris is Co-Founder and CTO of Bluefin. Prior to founding Bluefin, he worked as a software engineer at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, specializing in counter-weapons of mass destruction simulations. Chris holds a B.S. and M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).