Interim Chair appointed at Office for Environmental Protection
The appointment comes as Dame Glenys Stacey steps down as the inaugural Chair
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Northern Ireland Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs have jointly appointed Julie Hill as Interim Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP).
This follows the departure of Dame Glenys Stacey, who has served as Chair of the OEP since its establishment.
Julie Hill is currently a Non-Executive Director of the OEP and will take up the interim role with immediate effect. Her appointment, running for a time-limited period of four months until 31 May 2026, will provide stability and continuity of leadership while the process to appoint a permanent Chair concludes.
As an existing Board member, Julie Hill has a strong understanding of the OEP’s statutory remit and regulatory context. She brings substantial senior leadership and chairing experience across the environmental and public sectors and commands the confidence of the Board and key stakeholders.
The appointment has been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Emma Reynolds, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said:
I would like to thank Dame Glenys Stacey for her leadership in establishing the Office for Environmental Protection and guiding it through its formative years. She has laid strong foundations for the organisation’s future work.
I am pleased to appoint Julie Hill as Interim Chair on a joint basis with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Julie’s experience and understanding of the OEP will ensure continuity and stability as we complete the process to appoint a permanent Chair.
Biography
- Julie Hill has had a career in environmental policy and politics, working primarily in the UK.
- She is currently an inaugural Non-executive Board Member of England and Northern Ireland’s Office for Environmental Protection; Chair of the Institution of Environmental Sciences; and Chair of the Advisory Committee for Social Science at the Food Standards Agency.
- Former roles include Chair of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (known as WRAP), as well as a board member of the Eden Project, the Environment Agency and the Consumer Council for Water.
- She has written and presented widely, including publishing a popular science book, ‘The Secret Life of Stuff: A Manual for a New Material World’.