Sofia Heigis, CEO of OncoPeptides, From Sales Rep to CEO, Being "Present", and Hiring for Self-Insight

In this episode, I talked with Sofia Heigis, Chief Executive Officer of OncoPeptides, about a career path that did not start where she expected. Sofia originally wanted to move into clinical operations, but her first role in pharma ended up being in sales — a move that shaped everything that came after it. We talk about why early career detours can matter more than people think, what tough roles teach you about value and resilience, and why some of the best foundations are built in jobs people do not initially want.Sofia also opens up about the more personal side of leadership: raising three children while building a senior career, dealing with the guilt that can come with travel and time away, and learning how to be fully present instead of constantly split between work and home. We also get into OncoPeptides’ journey through a difficult period, why she stepped into the CEO role internally, how she thinks about culture and hiring, what is next for the business in Europe and glioblastoma, and the reality of board roles and strategic decision-making. Toward the end, we also touch on more personal quick-fire reflections, including what she is most grateful for and the soft skill she most wants her children to develop.Here’s What You’re In ForWhat “being present” really looks like at work and at homeWhy self-insight matters more than polished interview answersHow she thinks about board roles, contribution, and strategic fitTimestamps02:59 – How Sofia got her first pharma role after aiming for clinical operations05:03 – Why she believes sales can be one of the best starts in pharma07:38 – Career, motherhood, and the myth that you have to choose one11:30 – Dealing with guilt, travel, and being away from family13:47 – What OncoPeptides does and why its peptide drug conjugates stand out15:44 – Why she stepped into the CEO role and what she wanted to stabilize19:28 – The culture she wants at OncoPeptides and how she hires for it24:42 – What 2026 and 2027 look like for OncoPeptides across Europe, glioblastoma, and Japan28:42 – What a board really does and how people can position themselves for board roles37:43 – What she is most grateful for and the soft skill she wants her children to developAbout SofiaSofia Heigis is the Chief Executive Officer of Oncopeptides, a Swedish biotech listed on Nasdaq Stockholm that focuses on targeted therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers. Sofia started her career at Astrazeneca, first as a Sales Rep in 2006, then into Clinical Operations, then Medical Affairs and then eventually into VP positive leading the Medical and Regulatory teams across the entire Nordic + Baltic regions.And similarly at Onco she joined to lead their Global Medical Affairs and then moved into CCO and GM positions and now the CEO. Outside of this she is a mother of 3, and loves nature.Connect with Sofia:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-heigis-%E2%99%A6%EF%B8%8F-00b9205/Website: https://oncopeptides.com/en/About meMy name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment, I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.In 2023, I decided to launch my firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.Connect with me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/Website: https://www.discera-search.com/Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.