Yorkshire Water chief to leave after lowest environmental rating
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Yorkshire Water chief executive Nicola Shaw will leave her post on 1 January, with Nicola Medalova set to take over after a transition period. The resignation was announced a day after the company received the Environment Agency’s lowest possible environmental rating, adding to pressure over its performance.
Shaw has led the company since 2022 and faced criticism over £1.3m in previously undisclosed shareholder-funded payments, which she later said it was a mistake not to disclose. The Environment Agency recorded 260 pollution incidents linked to Yorkshire Water in 2025, its highest total since 2011, while Ofwat fined the company £47m in 2024 over historic sewage leaks.
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In short
- Nicola Shaw will step down on 1 January.
- Yorkshire Water received the lowest environmental rating.
- The company recorded 260 pollution incidents in 2025.
How this story developed
- 1 hour ago Further details identified Medalova as a chartered environmental health officer and former National Grid employee, while renewed scrutiny focused on Shaw’s admission that keeping £1.3m in shareholder-funded payments undisclosed from 2023 to 2025 was a mistake.
- 1 hour ago Yorkshire Water chief executive Nicola Shaw said she would leave on 1 January, with Nicola Medalova due to succeed her after a transition, a day after the company received the Environment Agency’s lowest environmental rating.
Explained simply
Yorkshire Water supplies drinking water and handles wastewater across much of Yorkshire. As a regulated private company, it is overseen by Ofwat on matters including customer service and finances, while the Environment Agency monitors its effects on rivers and other natural habitats.
Nicola Shaw became chief executive in 2022, and Nicola Medalova is due to succeed her. The company’s record matters to residents because pollution and sewage leaks can affect local waterways and communities, while its performance is also subject to public regulation and scrutiny.
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Originally published by feeds.bbci.co.uk as “Yorkshire Water boss resigns after firm downgraded”.