Nicola Shaw, who has served as chief executive of Yorkshire Water since 2022, announced her departure on Friday, effective 1 January. She will be succeeded by Nicola Medalova, a chartered environmental health officer with previous experience at National Grid. Medalova will begin her role in a transition capacity on Monday before assuming full chief executive responsibilities in the new year.
Shaw’s resignation comes immediately after the Environment Agency assigned Yorkshire Water a one-star rating out of four, designating it as a poorly performing company. The regulatory downgrade reflects significant environmental concerns, with the company responsible for 260 pollution incidents in 2025, marking its highest total since 2011. The firm has also faced previous regulatory action, including a £47m fine from Ofwat in 2024 for historic sewage leaks.
Shaw’s leadership has drawn scrutiny beyond environmental performance metrics. She received £1.3m in undisclosed shareholder-funded payments between 2023 and 2025, which came under public scrutiny following a government ban on unfair executive bonuses across water companies. In December of last year, Shaw acknowledged that the lack of transparency surrounding these payments constituted a mistake, though she stated the payment amounts were not within her authority to determine.
In her departure statement, Shaw characterized her tenure as a privilege and expressed pride in the company’s achievements, noting efforts to place the business on stronger operational footing. Medalova’s statement upon joining emphasized recognition of significant challenges facing the company while highlighting opportunities for continued improvement and emphasized collaboration with existing leadership during the transition period.
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