The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs have appointed Julie Hill as Interim Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection, effective immediately on 2 February 2026. Her time‑limited term runs for four months, until 31 May 2026, following the departure of founding Chair Dame Glenys Stacey.

The joint move is intended to keep the watchdog on a steady footing while recruitment for a permanent Chair concludes. In a statement published on GOV.UK, ministers said the arrangement would provide stability and continuity of leadership across England and Northern Ireland.

Hill already serves as a Non‑Executive Director on the OEP Board, giving her an immediate grip on the organisation’s statutory remit and regulatory context. Colleagues describe her as a safe pair of hands who commands the confidence of the Board and key stakeholders.

Beyond her OEP role, Hill is Chair of the Institution of Environmental Sciences and leads the Food Standards Agency’s Advisory Committee for Social Science. She previously chaired WRAP and has held board roles with the Eden Project, the Environment Agency and the Consumer Council for Water. She is also the author of The Secret Life of Stuff, a popular science book on materials and resource use.

Emma Reynolds, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, thanked Dame Glenys Stacey for establishing the OEP and said Hill’s appointment will ensure continuity as the formal selection process completes. The announcement confirms the appointment complies with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

For campaigners, councils and regulated industries, the message is continuity. The OEP’s job remains to track progress on environmental targets, scrutinise whether public authorities are following the law and, where necessary, investigate potential failures. The expectation is that live casework and advice to government will continue without interruption.

In practical terms, public bodies should keep evidence trails and impact assessments up to date, given the OEP’s information‑gathering powers. Businesses with significant water, air or waste footprints can reduce risk by maintaining transparent compliance data and engaging early where improvement plans are needed.

The four‑month window to 31 May 2026 is short, but it matters. Stakeholders will be watching for Hill’s early signals on priorities and tone-especially around enforcement decisions and reporting on targets-while the permanent appointment is finalised.