Amar Latif Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerAmar Latif

Blind Adventurer, Entrepreneur and TV Personality

Amar Latif is a blind traveller, entrepreneur and television presenter with an astonishing track record of facing up to major challenges. Due to an incurable eye condition, Latif lost 95% of his sight by the age of 18. Through sheer determination, he has managed to turn an unpromising tale of... Read More

Biography

Amar Latif is a blind traveller, entrepreneur and television presenter with an astonishing track record of facing up to major challenges. Due to an incurable eye condition, Latif lost 95% of his sight by the age of 18. Through sheer determination, he has managed to turn an unpromising tale of loss, into one of inspirational achievement.

Latif became known to millions through the groundbreaking BBC2 reality series, Beyond Boundaries, a jungle endurance expedition across Central America. Screened worldwide, this was a gruelling 220-mile trek on foot across the rugged interior of Nicaragua, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. Latif had to ford swollen rivers, cut through dense jungle, cross waterfalls, climb a 5,000 ft. active volcano and navigate the second largest lake in Latin America.

Most recently, Amar Latif took part in Celebrity MasterChef, their first blind contestant, reaching the semi-final and the final six of the competition, attracting a legion of fans along the way. 2019 saw him team up with comedian Sara Pascoe in Travelling Blind to lead this BBC documentary through some of Turkey’s most famous attractions, all in the name of showing Sara (and the hundreds of thousands of viewers who tuned in to join them) exactly how much there is to be gained by stepping out of your comfort zone and opening yourself up to new ways of seeing the world.

In 2004, Latif founded Traveleyes, the world’s first commercial tour operator to specialise in holidays for blind as well as sighted travellers. Traveleyes has opened the holiday travel industry to millions of blind and partially sighted people around the world, giving them the opportunity to walk with lions in Africa, sail the Ionian Sea and ski down Europe’s highest mountains.

For his entrepreneurial achievements, Latif received The Outstanding Young Person of the World accolade (Business / Entrepreneurial category) from the Chamber of Commerce International and the prestigious Stelios Disabled Entrepreneur Award, presented by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Amar Latif works with schools around the world taking students on a wide range of travel adventures whilst having them describe the sights to other blind travellers. By broadening

Popular Talks by Amar Latif

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Inclusive Design
  • Equality and Diversity
  • World Travel
  • Motivation and Inspiration