Deborah Meaden joined the British television programme Dragon's Den as an investor in 2006.
Meaden entered the panel during the programme's early years and became one of its most recognisable dragons. Her business background includes leisure and hospitality, and she became known for testing entrepreneurs on margins, management and the practical route to growth.
Her arrival followed the show's 2005 launch, so she was not part of the original investor line-up. That timing is a frequent source of confusion because she became such a long-standing and prominent presence on the programme.
Meaden is also a prominent British businesswoman outside television. Dragon's Den presents investment offers as conditional negotiations: an entrepreneur may accept, reject or continue discussing an offer, and an on-screen agreement is subject to later due diligence. Her role is therefore both entertainment and a public demonstration of commercial evaluation.