Touker Suleyman first appeared as a dragon on the British show Dragon's Den in series 13.
Suleyman joined the BBC programme in 2015 for its thirteenth series. He is a businessman associated particularly with fashion and retail, and his experience in manufacturing, clothing brands and distribution informs many of his questions to entrepreneurs. His appointment followed a period of changing membership on the investment panel.
The series number is not the same as the year of the programme’s launch. Dragon's Den had already been running for a decade by the time Suleyman arrived. He also joined after several well-known original or early dragons had left, so he belongs to a later generation of the British panel rather than the inaugural lineup.
Suleyman’s television role reflects the programme’s central requirement: investors assess whether a proposal can become a profitable, scalable business. His retail background is especially relevant to pitches involving product design, manufacturing costs, stock and routes to market.