Deborah Meaden joined the Dragons' Den investment panel in series 3.
Meaden entered the programme after Rachel Elnaugh's departure from the early panel. She became one of the show's most enduring investors, appearing in many subsequent series and considering pitches across sectors such as retail, leisure, food and consumer products.
Before becoming a television dragon, Meaden built a career in business and investments. She was associated with family leisure businesses and later developed a portfolio of investments. Her on-screen role requires her to judge not only whether a product is appealing, but also whether its financial structure, valuation and route to market make sense.
The series number is useful because several early dragons joined at different moments. Meaden was not part of the original five-person panel in series 1, and she did not arrive in series 2. Series 3 is the specific point at which she became a dragon.