“Jobs companies come and go to be quite frank and honest… but your children and your family stays.”
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 For
- Why a sales role can still be the right first move into pharma
- What tough jobs teach you about value, revenue, and resilience
- Why Sofia feels most proud after difficult periods, not easy ones
- How she balances a CEO role with raising three children
- What “being present” really looks like at work and at home
- How OncoPeptides rebuilt and stabilized after a difficult chapter
- Why she took the CEO role internally and how she judged the risk
- What kind of culture she wants to protect as the company grows
- Why self-insight matters more than polished interview answers
- How she thinks about board roles, contribution, and strategic fit
Timestamps
02:59 – How Sofia got her first pharma role after aiming for clinical operations
05:03 – Why she believes sales can be one of the best starts in pharma
07:38 – Career, motherhood, and the myth that you have to choose one
11:30 – Dealing with guilt, travel, and being away from family
13:47 – What OncoPeptides does and why its peptide drug conjugates stand out
15:44 – Why she stepped into the CEO role and what she wanted to stabilize
19:28 – The culture she wants at OncoPeptides and how she hires for it
24:42 – What 2026 and 2027 look like for OncoPeptides across Europe, glioblastoma, and Japan
28:42 – What a board really does and how people can position themselves for board roles
37:43 – What she is most grateful for and the soft skill she wants her children to develop
Listen to full episode here:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1GdPJm1LEQQjTWTW4xW8sQ?si=f8284415386a4446
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sofia-heigis-ceo-of-oncopeptides-from-sales-rep-to/id1736051162?i=1000770502396
About Sofia
Sofia 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:
About Oncopeptides
Oncopeptides is a Swedish biotech focused on the research, development, and commercialization of targeted therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers. Its scientific backbone is the proprietary Peptide Drug Conjugate, or PDC, platform, which is being used to build therapies that can selectively deliver cytotoxic payloads into cancer cells.
Commercially, the company reported 2025 full-year net sales of SEK 71.1 million, up 125% year over year, driven by Pepaxti demand in Europe, especially Italy.
- Website: https://oncopeptides.com/en/
- Pipeline: https://oncopeptides.com/science/pipeline/
About me
My 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.
