Michelle Mone was the founder of the British lingerie retailer Ultimo before joining Dragons' Den.
Mone founded MJM International, the company behind the Ultimo lingerie brand, in 1996. The business became known for fashion-led lingerie and for marketing products through prominent retail and media channels. Mone's entrepreneurial story was built around developing a branded consumer product rather than operating a traditional high-street chain.
She joined the Dragons' Den panel in 2015 as a guest Dragon. Her appearance brought a fashion and product-branding perspective to a programme whose investors have often come from retail, property, finance, and technology.
Ultimo is sometimes confused with the name of the holding company. Ultimo was the consumer-facing lingerie brand, while MJM International was the company Mone founded. That distinction explains why both names can appear in accounts of her business career, but Michelle Mone is the single investor associated with the founding achievement.