Duncan Bannatyne founded the fitness chain Bannatyne Health Club.
Bannatyne built a business empire that included health clubs, hotels and spas, and the fitness group carries his surname. He became one of the original Dragons when the BBC programme launched in 2005, bringing a background in acquisitions and business expansion to the panel.
His route into business was varied. Before becoming a prominent entrepreneur, Bannatyne served in the Royal Navy and later built companies in areas including care homes and soft-play centres. His television profile made him widely recognisable, but the health-club group remained one of the clearest public links to his commercial career.
Bannatyne left Dragon's Den after its twelfth series. That departure is distinct from the identity of the Dragon who founded the health-club chain: the answer is Duncan Bannatyne, not another former panel member or a company executive.