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DRAGONS' DEN 2011 - SERIES 9


Goddaz

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The new series of Dragons' Den starts on BBC Two at 9.00pm, Sunday 31 July. New Dragon Hilary Devey joins Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphitis and Duncan Bannatyne to scrutinize the business plans of hopeful entreprenuers. Who will secure an investment?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j97px

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New dragon Hilary Devey who's replaced James Caan

Turned down for a bank loan in 1995, Hilary chose to sell her house and car to finance her own business. She has since become one of Britain's most inspiring and successful businesswomen. Pulling pints in her father's pub after school, Hilary began working from an early age. She left Bolton Grammar at 16 with aspirations to become an air traffic controller with the Women's Royal Air Force. But this was one dream she didn't fulfill.

Instead aged 20 and with no formal training, Hilary went to work as a sales clerk in the offices of a distribution company.

It was here she went on to gain a wealth of experience, working her way up in the logistics industry at Tibbett and Britten, and as Sales Director at Scorpio Logistics. She then spent seven years as National Sales Manager at TNT before leaving to set up her own business.

In 1996, in a disused RAF hangar, Pall-Ex was born; back then it was a one truck, one woman, pallet exchange business. After initially signing up 35 haulier members which enabled Hilary to cover the length and breadth of the UK, now her multi-million pound empire distributes up to 9000 pallets a day from the central hub in Leicestershire. It was a revolutionary concept that has since become an industry norm. Today she has set her sights on even bigger goals, and as CEO, is currently overseeing their pan-European expansion.

Hilary has a portfolio of other business investments, but having made her mark in what traditionally might be seen as a male dominated industry, is passionate about encouraging other women into the type of jobs they might not believe they are capable of.

She has gone on to win numerous awards, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007 and the British Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008. In 2009 Hilary made history as the first ever woman to be presented with the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport's most prestigious award, The Sir Robert Lawrence Award.

As with all the Dragons, Hilary supports numerous charities. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The Stroke Association are two particularly important to her, but she has also set up the innovative 'Penny a Pallet' scheme which donates money to her chosen charities on an ongoing basis.

On top of all this business success, Hilary also has a son.

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