Yorkshire Water chief executive steps down after one-star rating

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 15:33 · Archive

Yorkshire Water's chief executive Nicola Shaw has stepped down a day after the company received the lowest environmental rating from regulators.

Yorkshire Water's chief executive Nicola Shaw has announced her departure, just 24 hours after the Environment Agency gave the company the lowest possible environmental rating of one star out of four.

Shaw, who has led the water company since 2022, will step down on January 1 and be replaced by Nicola Medalova, a former National Grid executive and chartered environmental health officer. Medalova will join the company next week as chief executive-designate before taking over the role formally in the new year.

In a statement, Shaw said it had been a 'privilege' to lead Yorkshire Water and serve the people of Yorkshire. She acknowledged that 'there remains a huge amount of work to do' but stressed the business was now on a 'stronger footing for delivery across all aspects of its work'. She added: 'This now feels like the right time to begin an orderly transition to the company's next chapter.'

The Environment Agency's downgrade from two stars to one star reflects serious environmental failures at the company. Yorkshire Water, which serves more than five million people in the Yorkshire region, recorded 335 pollution incidents in 2025, including 13 classified as serious. The company was fined £1.2 million in total last year over pollution incidents.

The one-star rating classifies Yorkshire Water as 'poorly performing' and means it is automatically blocked from paying bonuses to senior executives under rules introduced last year. Three other companies – Southern Water, Thames Water and South West Water – also received one-star ratings.

Shaw's departure comes amid separate scrutiny over her pay. Between 2023 and 2025, she received £1.3 million in payments made through Kelda Holdings, a Jersey-incorporated company. The company stressed at the time that these payments were made by shareholders rather than bill payers.

The Mirror reports that James Richardson, from campaign group Top of the Poops, said Yorkshire Water was not alone in polluting waterways, noting that since 2020 sewage has flowed continuously for more than 24 million hours into UK rivers, streams and seas. He called for the government to nationalise the water industry rather than allow it to continue extracting value for largely overseas shareholders. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle has summoned water industry bosses to Whitehall following the damning report.

How it is being reported

• Yorkshire Water boss steps down after one-star Environment Agency rating for 'poorly performing company'Nicola Shaw, chief executive of Yorkshire Water, has stepped down from her role just 24 hours after the firm was described as a 'poorly performing company' and given a one-star rating by the Environment AgencyThe Mirror · 30 Oct, 15:04
• Yorkshire Water boss quits after firm handed worst possible pollution ratingNicola Shaw is stepping down after the company was handed its lowest possible environmental rating, amid mounting criticism over pollution.Daily Express · 30 Oct, 12:35
• Yorkshire Water boss resigns after company given lowest environmental ratingYorkshire Water has announced its chief executive is stepping down - a day after the company was given the lowest environmental rating by regulators.Sky News · 30 Oct, 12:18
• Yorkshire Water boss steps down after firm given one-star environmental ratingNicola Shaw has led the business for four-and-a-half years.Independent Business · 30 Oct, 10:04
• Yorkshire Water boss steps down after firm given one-star environmental ratingNicola Shaw has led the business for four-and-a-half years.Evening Standard · 30 Oct, 10:04

In this story: Yorkshire Water · Nicola Shaw · Nicola Medalova · Environment Agency · National Grid · Yorkshire

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log