Deborah Meaden joined the Dragons' Den panel in series 3.
Meaden is an English businesswoman and investor who became one of the programme's most recognisable Dragons. Before television, she built experience in leisure, retail and consumer businesses, giving her a background that suited the show's focus on commercial judgment.
Her arrival followed the original panel's first two series and helped establish the rotating-investor model that Dragons' Den has used ever since. The programme has regularly refreshed its panel while retaining a core identity.
Meaden is sometimes confused with other female Dragons, including Rachel Elnaugh, who was part of the original panel, and Kelly Hoppen, who joined later. Their different arrival points are useful markers in the show's chronology.