Miles Hilton Barber has had adventure and thrill-seeking in his blood from a young age, initially intending to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a fighter pilot. Unfortunately, Miles failed the eye test that was required to join the Royal Rhodesian Air Force, and he was forced to give up his dream of becoming a pilot for the time being. When he was 21 years old, Miles was given the diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa, which over the years has lead Miles to become completely blind. Despite such misfortune, Miles has learnt to adapt his life with his blindness and has not let it hinder him from achieving his dreams.
Inspired by the accomplishments of his brother Geoff, who became the first blind person ever to cross an ocean solo, Miles has followed in his footsteps completing some of the most extreme challenges the world has to offer. Having spent 30 years of his life living with 'a victim mentality', Miles decided to change his attitude for the better at 50 and he has since gone on to set numerous world records across the globe. He has undertaken his exploits on seven continents, achieving vast success in the fields of powerboat racing, mountaineering, supersonic flying, scuba-diving, polar and desert ultra-marathons, long-distance flying, aerobatic flying and motor racing.
Some of Miles greatest achievements include setting the Malaysian Grand Prix lap record for a blind driver, becoming the first blind person to solo kamikaze skeleton run on the Olympic bobsleigh track, becoming the first blind pilot to fly from London to Sydney on a 21,000-kilometre microlight flight and completing both the world's coldest marathon and the world's hottest marathon- the Siberian Ice Marathon and a marathon across Death Valley in California. He has also set the British high-altitude record for a tandem microlight flight, become the first blind pilot to perform aerobatics in a Hawker Hunter fighter jet, set the world record for becoming the first blind person to pull a sledge 400 kilometres in Antarctica and become the first blind person to compete in a drag race- racing at 150mph. Miles has achieved many other fantastic world firsts, a testament to his determination to not let his condition hold him back.
A true inspiration for many, Miles has carved out a rewarding career as an accomplished and inspiring motivational speaker. He has delivered over 1,000 speeches at corporate events, in 69 countries around the world. Setting himself apart from other after dinner speakers on the circuit, Miles’ accomplishments demonstrate the importance of pushing limits – no matter how unobtainable they may seem. When booked as a speaker, Miles is known to cover themes such as facing your fears, never giving up, fulfilling business potential, expecting the unexpected, the importance of teamwork, benefitting from failure and more. With previous clients including the likes of Barclays Capital, Fujitsu, John Lewis, Cisco Systems, Heineken, 3M, Coca Cola and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Miles Hilton Barber is the perfect speaker for a variety of industries and is guaranteed to leave a lasting influence on audiences of all size.
