The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has recommended Vasudha Chandra Suratkal for the position of Managing Director of The Orissa Minerals Development Company Limited (OMDC), according to reports of the selection held on September 11, 2026.
Suratkal serves as Chief General Manager (Mining, ME) at KIOCL Limited. His recommendation marks a step in the process of filling OMDC’s executive leadership position; it should not be read as confirmation that he has taken charge. Selection report.
A Mining Professional in Focus
Suratkal’s professional background combines mining engineering with experience in the public-sector minerals industry. KIOCL’s published profile identifies him as a mining engineering graduate who completed his B.Tech with first-class distinction from the erstwhile Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Surathkal, now the National Institute of Technology Karnataka.
His work at KIOCL provides the professional context for his selection for the OMDC role. The proposed move would bring a mining executive from one Ministry of Steel enterprise into the leadership of another established minerals company.
A Century-Old Company with Roots in Odisha
Incorporated on August 16, 1918, OMDC is part of the Bird Group of Companies, alongside Eastern Investments Limited and The Bisra Stone Lime Company Limited.
The group falls under the administrative control of the Ministry of Steel, Government of India, and has its headquarters in Bhubaneswar. Its corporate history is linked to the nationalisation of Bird & Company’s undertakings in 1980.
OMDC’s iron and manganese ore business connects it directly with the mineral resources that support industrial activity in Odisha. The company’s leadership therefore carries responsibilities spanning business operations, regulatory compliance and the management of mineral assets. Official company information.
Recommendation Precedes Appointment
The immediate development is PESB’s recommendation of Suratkal for Managing Director. Details of his formal appointment, tenure and assumption of charge should be reported when the relevant official communication becomes available.
For OMDC, the selection puts attention on the next stage of its executive leadership. For Odisha’s business community, it is a development to follow within the state’s public-sector mining landscape.
Written by Snigdha Mishra | Interview Times