Global Adventurer, motivational speaker, corporate entertainer and lover of lifehein

Hein Wagner was born blind and matriculated at the Pioneer School in Worcester, South Africa. His parents made the difficult decision of sending their blind five year old son to boarding school a hundred kilometres away from their home in Durbanville. This was a decision the terrified five year old could not understand at the time, yet today he recognizes this decision as the best one they could have made in their quest to prepare their son for the real world.

Hein’s first school report is testimony to his adaptive nature and early sense of adventure stating that he “is on a constant journey of discovery”. His teenage years proved to be slightly more challenging. As he dealt with the normal pressures of growing up he also struggled with the question: “Why should I be the blind one?”. Not finding the answers he desperately needed made him rebellious and he made life difficult for those around him. It took a couple of extreme adventures to make Hein see the light and today he sees his blindness as the biggest gift he could ever dream for. Some of his adventures include: Sailing from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race, skydiving, participating in Ironman events and completing the ABSA Cape Epic. Hein is also the current holder of the World Blind Landspeed Record at 322.52 km/h.

He started his career as a switchboard operator, however the development of technology inspired him to enter the IT industry which saw him working for companies such as MWeb and Thawte Consulting. Here he quickly worked his way up to international sales manager , managing a team of fifteen sighted individuals.

Hein’s unique experiences and out-look on life afforded him numerous invitations to share his story and in 2004 he decided to take up motivational speaking as a full-time career. His humorous approach to everything in life has illuminated a lighter side of living in darkness and resonates with audiences around the world. Whether he has his audience rolling with laughter or doing introspection he aims to leave them with the realization that they have the capacity to achieve anything they set their minds too.

Hein Wagner is living proof that despite the challenges that come our way, anything is possible. He does not allow his blindness to stand in the way of his dreams and people often refer to him as a blind man with exceptional vision.

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