Deborah Thomas' career in magazine publishing started at Cleo magazine as beauty and lifestyle editor in 1987. She became deputy editor at Cleo in 1990, and was editor at Mode (now Harper's Bazaar) and Elle magazines until she took over the editorship at Cleo from 1997 to 1999, where she "revive[d] the magazine's falling circulation and advertising revenue".After Cleo magazine, Thomas became editor-in-chief of The Australian Women's Weekly and was awarded Editor of the Year in 2002 for her efforts at the magazine. Later, Thomas was director of media, public affairs and brand development across Bauer Media's portfolio of 70-plus titles. In April 2015 she was appointed as chief executive officer of Ardent Leisure.Ardent Leisure owns Dreamworld amusement park in Queensland, Australia. A few months after an accident that killed four people on the Thunder River Rapids Ride, Thomas resigned from her position as CEO. It was reported that she received $731,000 as a payout.