Deborah Meaden joined the British series Dragon's Den in 2006 and became its longest-serving female investor.
Meaden is an English businesswoman and television personality who joined the investor panel after the programme's first series. She became recognised for questioning entrepreneurs about practical operations, ownership, profitability and the scale of a proposed opportunity.
Her background includes work in family entertainment and leisure businesses, followed by investment activity across a range of companies. On Dragon's Den, she has considered pitches in consumer goods, food, services, technology and retail, making her one of the programme's most familiar recurring Dragons.
The wording refers to her tenure on the British programme, not to her being the first woman ever to appear in any international version. Other female Dragons, including Kelly Hoppen and Sara Davies, joined later. Meaden's start year is the key chronological distinction.