Rachel Elnaugh was the first woman to join the investor panel of the British TV series Dragon's Den.
Elnaugh appeared among the original dragons when the programme launched in the United Kingdom. Her business background came from Red Letter Days, an experience-gift company that made her a prominent entrepreneur before her television career.
Her arrival gave the early panel some gender diversity while the show was still establishing its familiar group of investors. The dragons have changed repeatedly over the years, and several other prominent women later joined the programme, including Deborah Meaden, Kelly Hoppen and Sara Davies.
The question concerns the first woman on the British panel, not the first female dragon in every international version. Dragon's Den has been adapted in many countries, with different casting histories. It also does not ask who was the longest-serving female investor, which would be a separate claim.