County Durham entrepreneur Sara Davies has been unveiled as the latest Dragon to enter the famous BBC Dragons’ Den.
Mrs Davies, founder and owner of Crafter’s Companion, will replace Jenny Campbell who announced her departure from the long-running show in February.
She will begin filming in the Den this spring and will appear on the next series of Dragons’ Den which is due to broadcast on BBC Two later this summer.
Mrs Davies, 35, of Coundon, County Durham, becomes the youngest ever Dragon to enter the Den, but she is an experienced business woman having launched her crafting company when she was at York University.
The company, which designs and manufactures many of its own products, has three stores including its flagship shop and head office in Newton Aycliffe, as well as successful US division.
It now has turnover of £34m a year and employs more than 190 staff in UK, the US and across Europe, and Mrs Davies and the firm has won 25 business awards.
In 2016 she was recognised for services to the economy with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Entering the Den will not be too daunting for Mrs Davies because she makes regular appearances on shopping channels in the UK and US, as well as hosting her own craft programme, Be Creative TV.
Business Interview: Crafter's Companion founder Sara Davies
She will join the line-up of Dragons which includes Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Tej Lalvani and Touker Suleyman as they begin filming the seventeenth series in the Den.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted to join the other Dragons for the new series of the show. I’ve always been very passionate about investing time in and sharing my expertise with other entrepreneurs and hopefully I’ll be able to help some of the contestants to really take their businesses to the next level.
“I’ve been a fan of the show since it started, I was even invited to pitch on the show 13 years ago so it feels like I’ve come a full circle.
“It wasn’t all that long ago when I was in the position of the contestants so I really feel like I will be able to relate to their stories and their journeys so far. I understand the highs and lows of building a global business from the ground and taking that initial product idea all the way to market.
“I’m looking forward to getting started and hopefully being introduced to some businesses that I can really get excited about.”
Patrick Holland, controller of BBC Two, added: “With a Bafta nomination and brilliant viewing figures, Dragons Den continues to be a fantastic show on BBC Two. Combining great aspirational opportunity with the promise of really challenging encounters with the Dragons, the show is going from strength to strength. Sara is a formidable business woman and I can’t wait to see her start in the Den.”
