India, Oct. 30 -- Yorkshire Water's chief executive, Nicola Shaw, has announced that she will step down after four and a half years in the role, a day after the Environment Agency downgraded the company to the lowest possible environmental rating. Shaw will remain in post until 1 January 2027, when she will be succeeded by Nicola Medalova, a former National Grid executive and a current non-executive director of Yorkshire Water. The company has described the transition as an orderly handover.

The regulator's decision places Yorkshire Water among the weakest performers in the water sector, and it has raised questions about the leadership and governance of the business at a time of sustained public scrutiny over sewage discharges.

Yorkshir...