Deborah Meaden was the first woman appointed to the UK Dragon's Den panel after Rachel Elnaugh.
Meaden joined the programme in 2006, during its third series, replacing Rachel Elnaugh. She became one of the show's most recognisable investors and is known for a direct style focused on ownership percentages, business fundamentals and the entrepreneur's ability to execute a plan.
Before television, Meaden built a career in business and hospitality, including involvement with family entertainment and leisure enterprises. Her experience made her a prominent female investor on the panel for many years.
The wording matters because Rachel Elnaugh was the original female Dragon. Deborah Meaden did not replace every previous woman in the programme's entire history; she specifically succeeded Elnaugh in the early UK panel and later became a long-standing Dragon herself.