Dame Mary Perkins DBE
Dame Mary Perkins DBE is co-founder of the Specsavers chain of opticians. She and her husband Doug first established the business in their spare room on a table-tennis table. Their aim was to offer a wide range of glasses at affordable prices. In 2008, Dame Mary opened the company's 1,000th branch, and by 2011 Specsavers was employing more than 26,000 people.
Mary was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2007. You can find out more about Specsavers at www.specsavers.co.uk