Dame Mary Lesley Perkins, DBE (born 14 February 1944)[1] is an English billionaire who is the co-founder of Specsavers, the British retail optometry chain.
Perkins was the first female optometrist in the UK to receive the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2007 for services to Business and to the community in Guernsey.
[5] The accolade was also in recognition of her other charitable work, including the Guernsey annual "Specsavers Liberation Tea Dance for pensioners", and her directorship of Women's Refuge and Age Concern.
[8] In 2012 Perkins was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business from Plymouth University[9] In February 2013 she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.
[11] In October 2017, Dame Mary was honoured with an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year UK Lifetime Achievement Award for her continued contribution to entrepreneurship and the economy.