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Amar Latif

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Amar Latif
Born1974 (age 49–50)
Glasgow, Scotland
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, television presenter
Years active2005–present

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]

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;[citation needed] 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c 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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