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Mary Perkins

English businesswoman (born 1944)

Dame Mary Lesley Perkins, (born 14 February 1944) is an English billionaire who is the co-founder of Specsavers, the British retail optometry and audiology chain. In 2013 she became Britain's first female self-made billionaire.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Mary Perkins (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Feb 14, 1944.1

About

Together with her husband, co-founder and chairman Doug Perkins, Dame Mary has three children, all of whom work for Specsavers. Their son, John, has been chief executive of Specsavers since 2015.

In The Sunday Times Rich List 2026, Mary and Doug Perkins and family were ranked 117th in the list of Britain's Wealthiest People, with their personal worth estimated at £1.409 billion. In The Sunday Times Tax List 2026, they were ranked tenth, having paid £121.7 million in tax.

From Wikipedia’s article on Mary Perkins, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedUniversity of Wales Institute of Science and Technology3
  • Date not recordedFairfield Grammar School3

She attended Fairfield Grammar School in Bristol. She then went to Cardiff University to train as an optometrist. At Cardiff, she met Doug Perkins, whom she later married. The couple established their first business in Bristol in the 1960s. This became a chain of optometrists around Bristol, which they sold for £2 million in 1980. After the sale the couple moved to Guernsey, where Mary's father had retired.

From Wikipedia’s article on Mary Perkins (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: businessperson.5

Personal life

  • BornFeb 14, 1944, Bristol6
  • CitizenshipUnited Kingdom7
  • ResidenceGuernsey8
  • SpouseDoug Perkins married 19679

Awards

  • 2007Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire10

Sources

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