Two new board members appointed to the Environment Agency

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 10 January 2022 and will run for four years until 9 January 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 per month and receive a remuneration rate of £16,800 per annum.

Biographies

Sarah Mukherjee

• Sarah Mukherjee is the Chief Executive of the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).
• She was the BBC’s Environment Correspondent for many years, presenting on national and international BBC radio and television.
• Since leaving the BBC, Sarah has had leadership roles in utilities and agriculture. She was a panel member for the National Parks Review and sits on the National Food Strategy Advisory Panel. She is a Trustee of the Woodland Trust, a governor of Harper Adams University and is Co-Chair of the Oxford Farming Conference.
• In 2021, Sarah was awarded an MBE for her services to agriculture and farmer well-being.

Mark Suthern

• Mark is a Non-Executive member of the Rural Payments Agency Advisory Management Board and its Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
• He is an external Advisor for FixOurFood and a member of The Ceres Agri-Tech Investment Committee.
• Mark is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Farming Community Network charity and Trustee for the Institute of Agricultural Management. Mark is also a Lay-Canon and member of the Chapter at Lincoln Cathedral.
• Previously, Mark has held the role of Managing Director, and National Head of Agriculture and Landed Estates at Barclays UK Plc. In this role, he focused on farming, agri-tech, sustainability, energy and the environment.

Further information

• The Environment Agency is a Non-Departmental Public Body set up under the Environment Act 1995 to take an integrated approach to environmental protection and enhancement in England. It has major responsibilities in flood management, water resources and quality, climate change, land quality, chemicals, pollution prevention and control, waste, conservation and biodiversity, fisheries conservation, air quality and navigation.
• The Board for the Environment Agency comprises a Chair and 12 members.