Widely lauded as the world’s most accomplished blind adventurer, Miles Hilton-Barber has continued to serve as an inspiration to audiences all over the world. Having overcome the limitations of his blindness through sheer strength and determination, Miles has set numerous world records through undertaking a wide variety of extreme events. In addition, he has also acquired a reputation as a leading name among motivational speakers.
Miles’ life radically changed when he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa in his early twenties. The genetic eye condition also affected his brother Geoff, who went on to become the first blind person ever to have crossed the ocean between Africa and Australia using a yacht he built himself. Initially inspired by his brother’s accomplishments, Miles decided to turn his life around at the age of 50 – and the rest is history.
Miles’ realisation that his blindness needn’t stop him from undertaking extreme adventures proved to be of crucial importance to his later career. His mental strength would help him to set world records in an array of areas. Setting his sights on long distance flying, mountaineering, powerboat racing, polar and desert ultra-marathons, motor racing and scuba diving, he achieved incredible accomplishments in each of these areas.
Just one of Miles’ inspiring achievements is his successful world record attempt to fly from London to Sydney in a microlight. Flying across half the world within a time frame of 55 days, his inspiring feat was accomplished in support of Seeing is Believing, a charitable organisation aimed at supporting blind people. Miles also set a world record as the first blind aviator to have broken the sound barrier, achieving a speed of more than 1000 miles per hour in a jet airplane.
Miles’ many achievements serve as an inspiration for listeners from all walks of life. Having become one of the most popular international after dinner speakers, Miles’ speeches have been featured at gala dinners and corporate events in 69 countries around the world. Sharing his experiences in overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Miles has motivated international audiences to push their limits and step out of their comfort zone. With a bright and adventurous future ahead of him, Miles is the ideal speaker for a wide array of events.
How to hire Miles Hilton-Barber
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Miles Hilton-Barber for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
See what people had to say about Miles, when he appeared at their corporate events:
"Miles was Amazing .. everyone loved him! We found out that he was going to Amersham after our event and he wondered whether anyone could help him to London Bridge Station so that he could catch a train. As a testament to how highly he was thought of by our team, our UK Vice President, Alex, authorised a car to pick him from the event and take him to his destination (cost to us £400). I did tell him off afterwards for making my mascara run during his talk …. Alex fought hard not to squeeze out a tear also." - Yvonne, Executive Assistant
"That was a really inspirational talk this afternoon, it’s definitely made me think more about my attitude towards life and helped put things into perspective. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us and all the best with your future adventures." - BlackRock
"How can I thank you enough for your time on Tuesday this week at Black Rock to deliver your talk and spread your amazing positive empowering vibes? It was simply breath-taking and left us all speechless, although with huge smiles and good energy." - Charlotte, BlackRock
"Everything went really well yesterday, and Charlotte and Miles were amazing.The event was a huge success and guests were tweeting live on the night with pics and videos. The insight and experiences of both Miles and Charlotte were fantastic and so inspirational. Miles was charming and very humbling, and his words me had me on the edge of tears through the night." - Denise, Lloyds
"Miles was absolutely fantastic! He had us hanging on his every word for an hour, without even a thought to look at the time. We could have listened to him for the whole day. He was utterly inspiring and full of positive energy that definitely rubbed off on everyone listening. Even our AV technician commented that Miles’ talk was the best he’s ever listened to in all the time he’s been doing his job. Thanks for connecting us with Miles." - Rachel, iQ Student Accommodation
"So, the event went really well. It was a new product launch to the sales team and we decided to have a dinner the evening before with a speaker. The idea was to really motivate, encourage and let the team know that anything is possible with the right mindset. Miles was perfect for this. We have not told the team we were having a speaker and so it came a surprise on the evening. Miles’ energy, enthusiasm and fantastic personality had everyone engaged and inspired. It really lifted the mood and got everyone geared up for the launch the next day. Miles took the time to have dinner with us, get to know about our team and business and answer questions, which had a great impact and made it a really powerful takeaway. We are using some of his inspirational quotes to keep the momentum going!" - Jade, Allergan
"Well thank you first of all. Miles’ talk has been ridiculously well received. In the room there was a lot of noise and laugher and some tears. I haven’t seen a reaction like that to a talk. There has been a lot of colleague conversation around it afterwards and people have been emailing in about how much they loved it. It has really resonated with people." - Jack, American Express
"Miles was everything my office needed to hear and more. He was motivating, inspirational and made everyone laugh. Prior to the presentation, he spent over an hour with me on the phone to understand my company, how we work, and what we valued - he weaved all of this into his chat and made it very relatable - I truly appreciated this extra touch. It was an evening we will not soon forget." - Laura, Bamfunds
- First blind person to man-haul a sledge over 400 kilometres across Antarctica
- Climbed Mt Kilimanjaro
- Climbed Mt Blanch
- Circumnavigated 38,000 miles using 80 forms of transport
- The first blind person to do the solo Skeleton down the 5G bob-sleigh track at Lillehammer
- First blind person to drive a 340BHP Zap Cat powerboat boat in time trails
- Completed a 150 miles footrace across the Sahara Desert
- First blind pilot to break the sound barrier
