Black Lens
Black Lens
  • Home
  • Speaking
  • Black Lens
  • Black Lens Press
  • More
    • Home
    • Speaking
    • Black Lens
    • Black Lens Press
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

  • Orders
  • My Account
  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com


  • Orders
  • My Account
  • Sign out

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • Speaking
  • Black Lens
  • Black Lens Press

Account

  • Orders
  • My Account
  • Sign out

  • Sign In
  • Orders
  • My Account

STEVE JOHNSON

Speaker on resilience, accessibility & doing it right! 

From national television to tech founder, Steve delivers grounded, real-world talks that resonate long after the event.

Enquire about speaking

Why Steve speaks differently.

A different type of keynote.

Steve Johnson brings over 30 years of leadership experience across telecommunications and technology, having managed teams, delivered complex change and taken responsibility for difficult decisions in fast-moving organisations including Vodafone and TalkTalk. He is a qualified project manager, holding PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner certifications.


He became the first visually impaired contestant on Channel 4’s Hunted, navigating a national manhunt while living with progressive sight loss — an experience that brought national visibility to a journey already defined by resilience and adaptation.


Beyond television, Steve has undertaken demanding expeditions and endurance challenges, including paddleboarding across Norwegian fjords, rafting 100 miles of the Grand Canyon, completing the central section of the Great Glen canoe trail from Neptune’s Staircase to Loch Ness, and taking up downhill skiing after losing most of his vision.


He has also entered and won the Cystic Fibrosis Warrior Games three times — a 24-hour endurance event hosted at MOD facilities across the UK — raising thousands of pounds for children living with cystic fibrosis.


Alongside his leadership and physical challenges, Steve founded Black Lens — a camera app built specifically for the blind and low-vision community, designed with accessibility at its core rather than as an afterthought. With additional apps launching soon, his work continues to focus on practical, purpose-built tools shaped by real-world experience.


Steve speaks to corporate, technical and innovation-focused audiences about durable resilience, inclusive thinking and leading with clarity under pressure — in environments where performance is measured by action, not applause.

Speaking Topics

Leadership in the real world.

Leadership in the real world.

Leadership in the real world.

Leading people is rarely glamorous. It involves difficult conversations, complex decisions and accountability that carries real consequence.


Drawing on over 30 years in telecommunications and technology, Steve shares practical lessons from managing teams, delivering change and navigating pressure in fast-moving organisations.


An honest, experience-led perspective for leaders responsible for performance, culture and long-term results.

Resilience without drama.

Leadership in the real world.

Leadership in the real world.

Resilience is not forged in a single defining moment. It is built gradually through sustained responsibility, uncertainty and personal challenge.


From navigating progressive sight loss to competing in endurance events and appearing on Channel 4’s Hunted, Steve explores what durable resilience truly looks like beyond hype and slogans.


A grounded framework for maintaining composure, clarity and strength when pressure is constant.

Designing for Difference

Leadership in the real world.

Designing for Difference

Innovation improves when we design for real-world difference rather than ideal conditions.


As founder of the Black Lens app, Steve shares lessons from building technology shaped by accessibility, lived experience and user-first thinking.


Insight for technical, product and innovation teams seeking to create solutions that are inclusive, practical and commercially sound.

Who Steve Speaks To

Corporate Leadership Teams

Accessibility & Inclusion Conferences

Technology & Innovation Events

For organisations navigating change, performance pressure and the realities of leading people in complex environments.

Technology & Innovation Events

Accessibility & Inclusion Conferences

Technology & Innovation Events

For product teams, digital leaders and forward-thinking businesses focused on building meaningful, commercially sound solutions.

Accessibility & Inclusion Conferences

Accessibility & Inclusion Conferences

Accessibility & Inclusion Conferences

For audiences exploring inclusive design, lived experience and practical accessibility applied in the real world.

Entrepreneur & Growth Communities

Entrepreneur & Growth Communities

Accessibility & Inclusion Conferences

For founders and ambitious professionals building ventures while balancing uncertainty, responsibility and long-term vision.

Health & Lived Experience Panels

Entrepreneur & Growth Communities

Health & Lived Experience Panels

For charities, healthcare organisations and research communities seeking grounded, real-world perspectives on navigating disability, adaptation and long-term resilience.

Adventure & Performance Events

Entrepreneur & Growth Communities

Health & Lived Experience Panels

For endurance, outdoor and performance-focused communities exploring discipline, mental resilience and the pursuit of challenge beyond comfort zones.

Bring Steve to Your Event

For keynote enquiries, panel invitations and tailored sessions, please complete the form below. All enquiries are reviewed personally.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Steve Johnson

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

BlackLens

Copyright © 2025 Steve Johnson -  All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

DeclineAccept