Deborah Meaden joined the investor panel in the third series of the British television show Dragons' Den.
Meaden is an English businesswoman and investor who became one of the programme's longest-serving and most recognisable dragons. Her business background includes family enterprises, leisure businesses and investments in consumer-focused companies. On the show, she is known for assessing practical operations, management capability and whether a business can scale.
She joined after the programme had already launched, so she was not part of the original 2005 panel. Her arrival helped establish the changing nature of the den, where the investor lineup could develop as the series continued.
The answer is sometimes confused with later female dragons such as Kelly Hoppen, Sara Davies or Jenny Campbell. Those investors joined during different periods. Meaden's place in series three is the specific milestone connected with her entry into the British programme.