Yorkshire Water chief executive resigns after lowest environmental rating
Nicola Shaw, chief executive of England's Yorkshire Water, has announced she will step down a day after the Environment Agency gave the company its lowest possible rating. Nicola Medalova will take over on 1 January.
The chief executive of Yorkshire Water, the water and sewage company serving northern England, has announced she is leaving her post. Nicola Shaw, who has led the firm since 2022, made the announcement on Friday, just 24 hours after the Environment Agency, the government body that regulates environmental performance, gave the company its lowest possible rating.
Shaw will leave on 1 January. Her successor is Nicola Medalova, a chartered environmental health officer who previously worked for National Grid.
In a statement, Shaw said it had been a "privilege" to lead the company and that it was "the right time" to go.
Lowest possible rating
On Thursday, the Environment Agency awarded Yorkshire Water one star out of four, classing it as a "poorly performing company". The agency said the firm was responsible for 260 pollution incidents in 2025, its highest annual total since 2011.
Earlier criticism
Shaw has faced criticism in recent years, including over £1.3m in undisclosed payments she received between 2023 and 2025. The company's performance has also been under scrutiny. In 2024, Ofwat, the water industry regulator, announced a £47m fine on Yorkshire Water over historic sewage leaks.
