NICOLA SHAW LEAVES YORKSHIRE WATER AFTER ONE-STAR RATING

Yorkshire Water has announced that chief executive Nicola Shaw will leave in January, a day after the Environment Agency gave the company its lowest environmental performance rating. Shaw chose to stand down after four and a half years leading the water supplier, the company said. Nicola Medalova, a former National Grid executive, will join next week as chief executive-designate and formally take over in January. Shaw said: “This now feels like the right time to begin an orderly transition to the company's next chapter.”

The Environment Agency downgraded Yorkshire Water from two stars out of four to one star on Thursday. The agency recorded 335 pollution incidents involving the company in 2025, including 13 it classified as serious. Yorkshire Water supplies more than five million customers across the Yorkshire region. The company received fines totalling £1.2 million last year over pollution incidents.

The one-star rating places Yorkshire Water alongside Southern Water, Thames Water and South West Water, which also received the lowest rating. Regulations introduced last year prevent companies with that rating from awarding bonuses to senior executives. Yorkshire Water has faced criticism over remuneration worth £1.3 million paid to Shaw between 2023 and 2025 through Jersey-incorporated Kelda Holdings. Shaw said a “huge amount of work” remained, while describing the business as being on a “stronger footing for delivery across all aspects of its work”.