Hilary Lorraine Devey
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
( Brewster; 10 March 1957 – 11 June 2022) was an English businesswoman and television personality best known for her role on the
BBC Two programme ''
Dragons' Den
''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
'' until she left to present the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
series ''The Intern''.
Early life
Devey was born Hilary Lorraine Brewster on 10 March 1957, in
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
.
As a seven-year-old child, she witnessed the results of the
bankruptcy of her father, who had owned a
central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces.
...
company, when
bailiffs removed furniture and household goods from the family home. Her father then earned a living managing pubs and hotels. She left school at the age of sixteen, and served for a short while in the
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994.
On 1 February 1949, the ...
, in
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
and the supply accounts department; she was stationed at
RAF Brize Norton
Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the village of Brize Norton, and the towns of Carterton and Witney.
The statio ...
. Devey later moved to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Career
Business
Devey made her fortune launching Pall-Ex, a
palletised freight network. Launched in 1996, Pall-Ex was the third palletised goods distribution network to be launched in the UK. It was based on the well-established hub-and-spoke express parcels distribution model: this form of pallet network was pioneered by Palletline in 1992.
Pall-Ex handles around 8,000 palletised consignments through its Leicestershire hub each day and has over 90 network members. In 2021 it had a turnover of £92.1 million, compared with £76.6 million in 2020. In 2021 gross profits were £10.9 million.
Television
Devey featured in several television programmes, including ''
The Secret Millionaire
''The Secret Millionaire'' is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds (or tens of thousands of dollars in the US and ...
'' in 2008, in which she donated more than £70,000 to the Back Door Music Project and the Syke Community Centre in
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. In March 2010, she was the presenter of ''The Business Inspector'' for
Channel 5, a four-part documentary series which saw her use her business acumen and expertise to help transform struggling small businesses into successful
profitable
In economics, profit is the difference between the revenue that an economic entity has received from its outputs and the total cost of its inputs. It is equal to total revenue minus total cost, including both explicit and implicit costs.
It i ...
companies.
In February 2011, Devey joined the panel of the
BBC Two programme ''
Dragons' Den
''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
'' following the departure of
James Caan
James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
. Devey later announced that she would be leaving the series in June 2012, as she had signed an exclusive two-year agreement with
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
.
In September 2012, Devey presented her final programme for BBC Two, a mini-series called ''Hilary Devey's Women at the Top'', a joint
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...
and BBC Two production.
In April 2013, after moving to Channel 4, Devey began hosting a new series, ''The Intern'', a business documentary in which Devey gave three young interns a week's trial in the job of their dreams. The first three episodes were aired in the Thursday 9 pm time slot, but the final three episodes were broadcast on Wednesday nights at the later time of 11 pm, due to a significant drop in ratings.
On 3 April 2014, Devey announced that she would host a new Channel 4 programme, which began filming in June 2014. The show, named ''Running the Shop'', began airing on Channel 4 on 9 June 2015.
On 18 June 2015, Devey made her debut as a guest panellist on the
ITV lunchtime chat show ''
Loose Women'', and became an occasional panellist on 4 September that year. However, she departed the show on 9 November.
Awards
Devey was awarded the Vitalise Woman of the Year Award in 2008, and an Honorary Doctorate of Law by the
University of Leicester
, mottoeng = So that they may have life
, established =
, type = public research university
, endowment = £20.0 million
, budget = £326 million
, chancellor = David Willetts
, vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah
, head_lab ...
in 2010 for her services to industry. Other UK domestic awards have included the Sir Robert Lawrence Award for Lifetime Achievement from the
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in 2009 and the Personality of the Year in the International Freight Weekly Awards for 2010.
In July 2012, Devey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration by the
University of Bolton
, established = 2004 – gained University Status 1982 – Bolton Institute of Higher Education
, type = Public
, endowment = £160,000 (2009)
, administrative_staff = 700+
, chancellor ...
, for services to business.
Devey was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE), in the
2013 Birthday Honours
The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...
, for services to the transport industry and charity.
On 16 April 2014, Devey was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration from the
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mechanics' Institute founde ...
.
Devey was an ambassador of the
British Citizen Awards
The British Citizen Award (BCA) is a recognition programme (The People's Honours) which is held bi-annually in the United Kingdom for individuals doing extraordinary work in their local community. The People's Honours was founded in September 2012. ...
, a ceremony held bi-annually to reward everyday individuals and their contribution to society.
Personal life
Devey previously lived near
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The ...
,
Staffordshire, England, but then relocated to
Boylestone in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. She also had a house in London and villas in Morocco, Spain, and
Boca Raton, Florida, and for a time, owned a mansion in the state, which she sold in 2014 for £5.42 million. She was married and divorced three times.
She also had a son named Mevlit, who she said in 2013 had successfully overcome drug addiction.
Devey was a
Bolton Wanderers supporter and a fan of rock band
Status Quo.
On 28 October 2012, whilst on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's ''
Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...
'', Devey shared a story about her mother's discovery, years into her relationship with Devey's father, that he already had a wife and four children. Devey also discovered that her ex-partner was also already married with five children.
Charity
Devey campaigned for various charities, including
Carers Trust
The Carers Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom which supports carers. It works with a network of partner organisations to help carers with the challenges of their caring roles.
History
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers was created on the ...
, of which she became vice-president in 2012. She donated to charity one penny for each pallet distributed by the Pall-Ex network through her 'Penny a Pallet' scheme. She also supported the
Stroke Association, for which she became a patron in 2010.
Death
On 11 June 2022, Devey died at her holiday home in
Marrakesh, Morocco, following a long illness, aged 65. Tributes were paid by her former ''Dragons' Den'' co-stars
Theo Paphitis
Theodoros "Theo" Paphitis ( el, Θεόδωρος Παφίτης; born 24 September 1959) is a Greek-Cypriot British retail magnate and entrepreneur. He is best known for his appearances on the BBC business programme ''Dragons' Den'' and as former ...
, who said Devey "left
hem
A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the g ...
with some fantastic memories, may she rest in peace",
Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, (born 2 February 1949) is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, and property. He is most famous for his appearance as a business a ...
, who
tweeted
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
he was sad to hear of her passing, noting that Devey had died "too young", and
Deborah Meaden
Deborah Sonia Meaden (born 11 February 1959) is a British businesswoman and TV personality who ran a multimillion-pound family holiday business, before completing a management buyout. She is best known for her appearances as a 'Dragon' on the ...
, who described her as "unique in every way", adding that she "brought grit and warmth with her into the den."
Filmography
;Television
;Guest appearances
* ''
Room 101
The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell.
The use of contradictory ...
'' (2012)
* ''
The Million Pound Drop
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Fifteen to One
''Fifteen to One'' is a British general knowledge quiz show broadcast on Channel 4. It originally ran from 11 January 1988 to 19 December 2003 and had a reputation for being one of the toughest quizzes on TV. Throughout the show's original run ...
'' (20 June 2014)
* ''
Through the Keyhole
''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...
'' (4 October 2014)
* ''
Safeword
In BDSM, a safeword is a code word, series of code words or other signal used by a person to communicate their physical or emotional state, typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary. Some safewords are used ...
'' (3 September 2015)
Books
* ''Bold as Brass: My Story'' (2012), London, Macmillan,
References
External links
Official website*
Pall-Ex official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devey, Hilary
1957 births
2022 deaths
20th-century English businesswomen
20th-century English businesspeople
21st-century English businesswomen
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
English philanthropists
Television personalities from Lancashire
People associated with the University of Leicester
People from Bolton
Women's Royal Air Force airwomen