Dame Mary Perkins

Co-founder of Specsavers

Fact title	Fact data
Professional Field	Business
Born	14 February 1944
Place of Birth	Bristol
Education	Fairfield Grammar School, Bristol; Cardiff University

Dame Mary Perkins is co-founder and main shareholder of Specsavers Optical Group Ltd. A qualified optometrist, she and her husband founded the company in 1984. Together they have built it into an internationally trusted brand worth more than £1 billion.

She was made an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University in 2005, and a DBE in 2007 in recognition of her charity work and contribution to optometry.