Susie Ma is one of the guest Dragons appearing on the remainder of this season’s Dragons’ Den.
The BBC business programme returns tonight, Thursday, August 20, with not one, but two stars missing. Stepping in for Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies, who both recently announced their exits from the show, REFY founder Jenna Meek and The Apprentice star Susie join Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, and Steven Bartlett.
The entrepreneurs were announced alongside Gary Neville and Tinie Tempah as guest investors on Dragons’ Den, when part of the series aired earlier this year. Susie has now returned to screens.
Inside Susie Ma's Career and TV Past
Susie is the mastermind behind Tropic Skincare, a UK beauty brand that boasts an annual turnover of £68 million. This is not Susie Ma's first time on a BBC competition.
The businesswoman, who was born in Shanghai before moving to Australia at the age of six, started the business when she was just 15 years old, two years after moving to the UK from Australia with her mum, and would sell homemade scrubs at a market stall to help her mum pay the bills.
In 2011, Susie found fame on The Apprentice, where she finished as one of the three finalists, and was the youngest ever candidate at the time. Though she lost out on the competition, she did win over Lord Sugar, who became a partner in her business and invested £200,000, and eventually buying her stake back in 2023.
As well as her success on screen, Susie has been awarded as one of the most accomplished young entrepreneurs on the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Susie Ma's Reaction to Joining the Den
When she was announced to be a guest Dragon, Susie shared: “It’s an absolute honour to join the Den as a Guest Dragon. I started Tropic from a market stall at fifteen, and I know the grit, vision and belief it takes to turn a spark of an idea into something extraordinary. I’m here to back the bold - the next generation of changemakers building businesses with purpose, creativity and courage. Sitting in that iconic chair is a pinch-me moment, and I’m so excited to help brilliant founders bring their dreams to life.”
Dragons' Den airs Thursdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
