Pratik Jena

A 10-year-old child looked up at the grown-ups and dreamed of being just as big, just as powerful. That child was me. I was endlessly fascinated by how adults worked, especially my father: my role model. I watched my parents hustle tirelessly, building a life, a livelihood, and a family from the ground up. My father had a dream. A dream to start a business with purpose, something that would leave a legacy, inspiring generations. As I grew older and began to shadow his journey, a pattern became impossible to ignore: Odisha’s most talented minds were constantly migrating, chasing opportunities far from home. That was the moment a seed was planted in me. What if we could transform Odisha into a global player, a destination for both commerce and opportunity? From then on, I started shadowing my father, soaking in the nuances of business, learning what it takes to not just build but to sustain. Today, under the mentorship of my father, Shri. Rabindra Kumar Jena, I lead Highland Group, steering its many verticals with the same passion and purpose. Our flagship, Highland Agro Foods Pvt. Ltd., has propelled Odisha’s seafood industry onto the world stage. Since becoming operational in 2021, we've shipped over 2000 containers of responsibly farmed and sea- caught shrimp to the USA, EU, Japan, China, and the Middle East, where we’ve held the No.1 exporter position for the last three years straight. In 2019, our sustainability-first approach earned us a $1.2 million grant from MoFPI. We are now proudly recognized as a 3-Star Export House by the Government of India. We directly work with over 5,000 farmers through contract farming — enabling sustainable rural livelihoods. In 2023, Highland Group acquired Baby Marine International (Kochi) as a part of strategic horizontal integration to expand processing capacity of sea caught products and market reach. Our biggest leap came through a strategic collaboration with LULU Group, to supply different Agro commodities unlocking vast export potential across the Middle East. Beyond exports, Highland Group is transforming Odisha’s urban living through Supratik Infraventures in both Balasore and Bhubaneswar. Supratik Lifestyle, North Odisha’s largest gated community is home to over 400 families. Armed with a BSc. in Business Management from Brunel University, London, and further specialization in international business and global logistics. Our next mission: achieving full farm-to-fork integration in seafood. Let’s connect — to collaborate, build, and make an impact together.