Osmel Sousa

Who is Osmel Sousa?

Osmel Ricardo Sousa Mancilla is a Cuban-born Venezuelan beauty pageant entrepreneur, gurú and the president of the Miss Venezuela Organization. He has been called "The Czar of Beauty" for his role in producing Venezuela's large number of beauty queens.

Formerly an advertising draftsman, Osmel Sousa joined the Venezuelan Committee of Beauty in 1969. Sousa continued working with that committee when, in 1970, Ignacio Font Coll reconstituted it as the OPPA Advertising Agency, which in turn was the predecessor of the actual Miss Venezuela Organization.

In the 1970s, Osmel Sousa undertook advising selected contestants, many of whom went on to win the Miss Venezuela crown, at the same time he started designing nightgowns for most of the contestants.

In October 1981 Ignacio Font Coll died and Osmel Sousa became the president of the Miss Venezuela Organization. During his thirty year career he has been considered to be the driving force behind the large number of Miss Venezuelas who go on to become Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth. He has been called a Pygmalion, an artist who turns out talented and beautiful young women. To date, Venezuela has had seven Miss Universe titleholders, six Miss World winners, six Miss International crowns, and two wins in Miss Earth, becoming the most successful pageant powerhouse in history.