Mahimananda Mishra: The man behind the success of OSL Group

Talk about India’s cargo sector and one of the names that comes up is the OSL Group. A major stevedoring and cargo handling company across the East Coasts ports of India, OSL Group handles over 35 million tonnes of cargo in different sectors. However, if there is anyone who can be credited for its growth, it is none other than Mahimananda Mishra.

A descendant of an aristocratic family in Orissa, Mishra was born on May 7, 1953 and is an alumnus of Christ College, Cuttack. Being the President of the Students Union in the year 1971-72, he has had a leadership streak since his college days. He also served as the president of the Students Union of MS Law College, Odisha in the year 1974-75. Even though he hails from an affluent family, it was his sheer hard work and determination that brought Mahimananda Mishra to where he is today. He is far from being satisfied with what he has achieved and strives to achieve more success in his entrepreneurial ventures.

Soon after his graduation, he forayed into entrepreneurship with the establishment of OSL Group in 1978. The group started with a core team of merely 15 employees but over the years, it reached unparalleled heights under the aegis of Mahimananda Mishra. Today, it is one of the largest corporates across the East Coast of India.

Apart from handling cargo and stevedoring, Mishra is deeply involved in other port-related activities including chartering, intra port transportation, freight forwarding, port-developing and mining as well. Diversifying his business ventures and taking the right leap when opportunities knocked, he has also forayed into diverse sectors – hospitality, media productions, aviation, education, healthcare, sugar production, to name a few.

Under the leadership of Mahimananda Mishra, OSL Group has been able to serve many well-known clients across several industries owing to which, it has garnered many accolades and awards over the years. It was honoured with the Outstanding Company Award by Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha. OSL was also declared as ‘STAR EXPORT HOUSE’ from 01-04-2009 to 31-03-2014 by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India.

The journey of Mahimananda Mishra may not be the quintessential rags-to-riches story that we have been hearing of multiple times, but it has certainly set a precedent for several aspiring entrepreneurs to keep striving for their goals to achieve more in life.