Amar Latif

Amar Latif (born December 1974)[1] is a Scottish entrepreneur, television personality and professional traveller. His blindness is due to the incurable eye condition retinitis pigmentosa. By his late teens he had 95 percent sight loss.[2]

Amar Latif
Born1974 (age 46–47)
Glasgow, Scotland
OccupationEntrepreneur, television presenter
Years active2005–present

Education and early career

Born and raised in Glasgow,[3] Latif gained a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Statistics and Finance at the University of Strathclyde,[4] spending part of his course in Canada at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.[5] On leaving university, he trained as an accountant,[6] eventually becoming Head of Commercial Finance for British Telecom.[2]

In 2004, Latif founded Traveleyes, a travel agency specialising in tours for blind and partially-sighted travellers.[7]

Media career

In 2005 Latif was a participant in the first series of the BBC Two documentary Beyond Boundaries,[8] as one of a group of travellers with various disabilities on a trek of 220 miles (350 km) from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts of Nicaragua.

Latif directed the 2007 Channel 4 documentary Sightseeing Blind.[9] He has had minor acting roles in the BBC Three comedy series It's Adam and Shelley,[10] and the BBC One drama series Love Soup.[10] In 2007, he appeared as a special guest on the BBC Two cookery show Ready Steady Cook.[11] In 2016, he appeared as a tour guide in Channel 4's The Last Leg Goes Down Under.[12]

From 2017-2018, Latif and Anna Richardson co-presented the Channel 4 show How to Get Fit Fast, which aired for two series.[13]

In 2019, Latif and Sara Pascoe featured in the BBC Two documentary Travelling Blind, in which they explored Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, remote Black Sea-bordering mountains, traditional summer oil wrestling festivities, traditional alpine cattle and bee farming methods and Cappadocia rock formations.[14]

In 2020, Latif appeared as the first ever blind contestant on Celebrity Masterchef.[10][15]

Patronship and awards

Latif won the 2005 Outstanding Young Business Entrepreneur of the World and Outstanding Young Person of the UK, both awarded by the Junior Chamber International; the 2006 One Vision Man of the Year;[16] and the University of Strathclyde’s 2006 Alumnus of the Year award.[4] In 2007, he was presented with the inaugural Stelios Disabled Entrepreneur Award, presented by EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in partnership with the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability.[17]

A 2018 episode of the BBC documentary series River Walks, presented by Latif, was awarded both the Single Documentary category at the 2019 Royal Television Society Yorkshire Centre Awards[18] and the Best Documentary award at the 2019 O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and The Humber.[19]

In July 2020 Latif was appointed as one of the first two celebrity patrons of SeeAbility, a charity working with people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss.[20]

References
  1. "Amar Latif and his inspiring journey through Nidderdale for TV programme". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  2. Latif, Amar (17 January 2020). "Sense-Sational". This is Y. Welcome to Yorkshire. p. 32. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  3. "Glasgow presenter makes Celeb MasterChef history as first blind contestant". Glasgow Times.
  4. "Alumnus Of The Year 2006". University of Strathclyde. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009.
  5. "A change of perspective: Amar Latif". Queen's Alumni Review. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. Baxter, Kevin (10 January 2008). "My big idea: Traveleyes". The Times. Retrieved 23 April 2010.(subscription required)
  7. "About us". Traveleyes. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  8. "In Pictures: Beyond Boundaries". BBC News.
  9. "Sightseeing Blind (2007)". BFI.
  10. Bullimore, Emma (30 June 2020). "Meet Celebrity MasterChef 2020 contestant Amar Latif". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. "Ready Steady Cook - Series 15". BBC iPlayer. 11 July 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. "Interviews with Adam Hills and Amar Latif for The Last Leg Down Under". Channel 4 Press Office. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. "How to Get Fit Fast". Channel 4. 7 February 2017.
  14. "Travelling Blind". BBC iPlayer. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  15. "Celebrity MasterChef - Series 15: Episode 7". BBC iPlayer. 15 July 2020.
  16. "Leading Lights are Awarded Top Visionary Accolade". Royal National College for the Blind. Archived from the original on 7 April 2008.
  17. "Blind businessman wins the first ever Stelios disabled entrepreneur award". EasyGroup. 30 November 2007. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008.
  18. "The RTS Yorkshire Centre Awards 2019". 14 June 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  19. "Double winners at O2 Awards". Air TV. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  20. "Amar Latif of Celebrity MasterChef fame, and TV presenter Helen Fospero join SeeAbility as Patrons". SeeAbility. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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