Deborah Meaden joined the British Dragon's Den panel in 2006 and became known for investing in family and consumer brands.
Meaden is an English businesswoman whose career included leadership in the family holiday business Weststar Holidays. She joined Dragon's Den after the programme's initial series and quickly became one of its most recognisable investors.
Her portfolio and on-screen interests have included consumer products, leisure businesses, food brands and family-oriented ventures. Her direct questioning often focuses on margins, valuation, sales evidence and whether a business can scale.
Meaden is sometimes incorrectly described as an original dragon because she appeared early in the show's history. The original British panel preceded her arrival; her 2006 entry made her part of the second phase of the programme's investor line-up.