Deborah Meaden became the first female Dragon to join the British series Dragons' Den after its original panel.
Meaden entered the programme in series 3, following Rachel Elnaugh's earlier place among the original investors. This makes the wording important: Meaden was not the first woman ever to appear as a Dragon, but she was the first female investor added after the launch panel.
Her background in business and tourism gave her a practical perspective on sales, operations and customer demand. On the programme, she became known for assessing whether an entrepreneur's proposal could scale and whether the requested valuation matched the evidence presented.
The show's changing panel means that “first female Dragon” can refer to different milestones. Elnaugh was the first woman on the original panel; Meaden was the later addition described here. Separating those two facts avoids a common historical mix-up.