Mary Perkins

Dame Mary Lesley Perkins, (born 14 February 1944) is an English billionaire who is the co-founder of Specsavers, the British retail optometry chain. Together with her husband, co-founder and chairman Doug Perkins, Dame Mary has three children, all of whom work for Specsavers, and are eventually expected to take over the privately-owned company. In spring 2015, her net worth was estimated to be £1.45 billion. Early life 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, and from which they continue to receive income. After the sale the couple moved to Guernsey, where Mary's father had retired.