Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle has selected Lisa Tennant as the Government's preferred candidate to become the next Chair of the Environment Agency, succeeding Alan Lovell.
Lisa Tennant currently chairs the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scotland's principal environmental regulator, and brings experience of leading environmental and public bodies on both sides of the border.
Scrutiny from MPs
Before the appointment is confirmed, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee will hold a joint pre-appointment hearing on 11 November 2026 and report on her suitability for the post.
Subject to the committees' report and a final decision by the Environment Secretary, she will take up the role on 1 January 2027 for a four-year term. Alan Lovell's term as chair ends on 31 December 2026.
Experience across regulation and energy
As well as leading SEPA, Lisa Tennant chairs the NHS Pension Board for England and Wales and is the Regional Energy Strategic Plan Chair for Scotland at the National Energy System Operator. She is a non-executive director of Smart Energy GB and was appointed to lead the independent review of the NHS Pensions McCloud Remedy.
Her previous roles include non-executive director of the Consumer Council for Water, non-executive adviser to Forestry and Land Scotland and membership of the Scottish Land Fund Committee.
