Deborah Meaden became a dragon in the third series of the UK version of Dragon's Den.
Meaden is an English businesswoman associated with family business, leisure and investment. She joined the programme after the first two series and became one of its most recognisable investors, known for direct questioning and a focus on commercial fundamentals such as margins, distribution and valuation.
Her arrival illustrates how the programme refreshes its panel while preserving the basic pitch format. Entrepreneurs present their products or companies, explain the amount of investment sought and offer an equity stake. The dragons then choose whether to negotiate, invest or decline.
Meaden is sometimes confused with Kelly Hoppen, who joined the panel much later, or Sara Davies, another later addition. Those investors were not the female dragon introduced in series three; that distinction belongs to Meaden.