Deborah Meaden joined the regular investor panel of the BBC series Dragon's Den in its third series. She became one of the programme's most recognisable Dragons, known for evaluating business models, margins and ownership offers.
Meaden is an English businesswoman with experience in leisure, retail and family businesses. Before and alongside her television career, she built a reputation as an investor and entrepreneur rather than as a presenter or business journalist.
Her arrival is sometimes confused with the programme's launch lineup. The first series began in 2005 with a different group of Dragons, while Meaden entered later and then became a long-term member of the panel.
The third series is an important point in the show's development because the cast began to evolve beyond the original investors. Meaden's tenure connected the early format with the enduring version of Dragon's Den familiar to many viewers.