Board Members of the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency is the leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England.

The Environment Agency’s vision is to create better places for people and wildlife and support sustainable development. It has three main business areas:

• Flood and coastal erosion risk management;

• water, land and biodiversity;

• regulation of industry.

Dear Candidate,

The Environment Agency’s purpose is to create better places for people and wildlife, and promote sustainable development. We are accountable to Parliament through Defra and are their biggest non-departmental public body, with around 13,000 staff and an annual budget of approximately £1.7 billion.

The Environment Agency’s expertise spans science, local knowledge, environmental practice, and finance. Our Board help government, businesses and communities to understand the benefits of particular environmental measures, as well as the risks of not acting. As a Board member you will be making decisions that will help create a nation resilient to climate change; with clean air, water and land; and green growth and a sustainable future. You will be helping the Environment Agency to focus on delivering outcomes that benefit the people and places we serve and to implement the long-term goals in our current strategy, EA2025. You will be working across sectors and government departments to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the government’s 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan.

Members of the Environment Agency Board have the opportunity to impact a wide range of important environmental issues, from the regulation of waste, water, nuclear and carbon intensive industries, through to flood risk management. Joining our Board would be your chance to influence action on our most critical challenges – water quality and waste crime – and help shape these for the future.

For this new cohort of Board members we are looking for people with knowledge and experience in finance, accountancy, audit, digital transformation, innovation and pensions.

The Environment Agency is committed to having an inclusive culture. We have an ambition to be the best employer for equality, diversity and inclusion in the country. Being a more inclusive organisation that is representative of the communities we serve leads to better outcomes for the environment and communities. We are a place-based organisation and it is important that our Board members bring a regional presence and local understanding.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Environment Agency Board. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very best wishes,

Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency

The Environment Agency Board:

• sets the strategy, drives performance and holds the organisation to account;

• promotes positive and constructive relationships with stakeholders;

• focuses on building consensus and finding practical solutions;

• supports and encourages the executive team and staff through constructive challenge and celebrating success;

• provides stewardship for public funds and environmental outcomes.

The Board is made up of a Chair and up to 14 other members.