Nicola Shaw will leave Yorkshire Water on 1 January after the company received the Environment Agency’s lowest environmental rating. The company was classed as a poorly performing business after being given one star out of four on Thursday.
Shaw has led Yorkshire Water since 2022. In a statement on Friday, she said: "It has been a privilege to lead Yorkshire Water and serve the people of Yorkshire."
Nicola Medalova joins Monday and
Nicola Medalova will replace Shaw as chief executive. She will join Yorkshire Water on Monday and said: "I am delighted to be joining Yorkshire Water and grateful to the board for the opportunity to lead the business through its next chapter."
Medalova also said: "Yorkshire Water faces huge challenges but also great opportunities for continued improvement and I look forward to working with Nicola Shaw, the leadership team and colleagues across the business as I get up to speed."
Environment Agency rating
The Environment Agency said Yorkshire Water was responsible for 260 pollution incidents in 2025, the company’s highest total since 2011. The rating came after Ofwat said in 2024 that it was fining Yorkshire Water £47m for historic sewage leaks.
Shaw said: "Although there remains a huge amount of work to do, I am extremely proud of what our colleagues have achieved, putting the business on a stronger footing for delivery across all aspects of its work." That sits alongside the figures now hanging over the company: one star out of four, 260 pollution incidents and the £47m penalty.
Tom Gordon on Shaw
Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said Shaw should have stepped down "much earlier." The timing also follows her comments last year that not being transparent about receiving £1.3m in shareholder-funded payments across two instalments had been a "mistake," after she received a further £660,000 earlier this year.
Whether Shaw’s resignation was directly prompted by the Environment Agency downgrade is not stated. What is clear is that Yorkshire Water is changing chief executive as it faces the record of pollution, fines and scrutiny that now defines the company’s next chapter.
