Environment Secretary George Eustice has appointed Sarah Mukherjee and Mark Suthern as non-executive directors to the Environment Agency board.
The appointments will begin on January 10, 2022 and will run for four years until January 9, 2026.
Board members provide non-executive leadership challenge and support to the Environment Agency’s executive through regular board meetings, committees and groups.
They also undertake individual lead roles on relevant issues and with local operational teams.
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.
The appointments comply with the Ministerial Code of Governance on Public Appointments. There is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if significant) to be made public.
Both Sarah and Mark have not declared any political activity in the past five years.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
“I look forward to welcoming Sarah and Mark to the Environment Agency Board. Their skills, experience and enthusiasm will be an asset as we work together to build back greener and improve the environment for future generations.”
Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency, said:
Sarah and Mark join us at a critical moment for the environment and nature in England. Last year, more than 76,000 incidents were reported to the Environment Agency’s incident management service, including flood, drought, fires, fish kills and pollution incidents. That’s one every seven minutes.
“Alongside incident response, the Environment Agency is helping protect the nation against flood risk, regulating industry and farming to protect our air, water and soils, delivering the government’s ambition to Build Back Greener, supporting communities and businesses prepare for climate shocks, helping lead the way to net zero by 2050 and creating a nature positive future.
“I know that Sarah and Mark’s experience and skills will help the Environment Agency’s Board to deliver environmental improvements for years to come and I am delighted they are joining us.”
The new appointments are based on a time commitment of four days a month and receive a remuneration rate of £16,800/annum.
