Overview
- Yorkshire Water announced on Friday that Nicola Shaw will leave after nearly five years and that Nicola Medalova will join the company on November 2 to work with Shaw before becoming chief executive on January 1, 2027.
- Regulators gave Yorkshire Water a one‑star environmental rating following a sharp rise in pollution incidents, with the Environment Agency recording 260 incidents at the company in 2025 and 2,666 across England that year.
- The one‑star score triggers automatic regulatory penalties including a ban on executive bonuses under rules introduced last year, and the company faces heightened oversight and requests from the Government for plans to improve performance.
- Yorkshire Water says it has secured £500 million of new shareholder equity with a further £600 million committed to fund what it calls the largest investment programme in its history to strengthen assets and reduce pollution.
- Nicola Medalova brings operational and regulatory experience from senior roles at National Grid, previous service as a Yorkshire Water non‑executive director, and a background in environmental health that the board says is suited to delivering remediation and better outcomes for customers and rivers.