Marcellus Williams was executed by the state of Missouri on Tuesday, Sept. 24, despite concerns citing his potential innocence. Williams died by lethal injection shortly after 6 p.m. at a Missouri state prison in Bonne Terre, St. Francois County. He was 55 years old.

In the aftermath of his death, there has been widespread condemnation, especially since the execution was not supported by the prosecution nor the victim’s family.

Williams was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a social worker and well-known St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, who was killed in her home.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office urged officials and courts to call off the execution over concerns regarding the trial’s jury selection (the vast majority of the jury was white) and potential racial bias—Williams was Black, while Gayle was white. Furthermore, DNA evidence did not tie Williams to the murder.

“Even for those who disagree on the death penalty, when there is a shadow of a doubt of any defendant’s guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not be an option,” St. Louis County’s Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement, according to the New York Times.

Governor of Missouri Mike Parson and the Missouri state Supreme Court denied and rejected multiple efforts to prevent the execution, including clemency pleas from Williams’ lawyers, members of the victim’s family, and the prosecution, as well as letters from from The NAACP. and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay of execution.

In the aftermath of Williams’ execution there has been an outcry from the public due to the doubts over his conviction, especially since it was reported in August that a new development showed that the knife used in the murder was believed to have been contaminated by DNA from a prosecutor and investigator working on the case.

Williams’ poetry and writings have been shared virally on social media. One document, which has been corroborated by publications such as  Newsweek, shows Williams’ handwritten “final statement” before his death, which reads, “All Praise Be to Allah in Every Situation!!!” 

Many have also shared his poetry, which had been featured in multiple online journals and the Kansas City Star.

In the lead up to, and in the aftermath of Williams’ death, many advocates also have pointed to his story as not an isolated moment—but as indicative of a greater narrative of racial injustice in the criminal justice system.

Various criminal justice advocates and politicians are also calling for the end of the death penalty, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Missouri Representative Cori Bush, and Derrick Johnson, CEO of the NAACP.

“The state of Missouri and our nation’s legal system failed Marcellus Williams, and as long as we uphold the death penalty, we continue to perpetuate this depravity,” Bush said in a statement on Tuesday night after Williams’ execution.

Hello and welcome back to Working It.

I talk to a lot of leaders, in a bid to stay “ahead of the curve” and hear what’s on their minds. These meetings are not just about good ideas and premium biscuits 🍪. I also enjoy the unexpected ways that life comes full circle.

In 2022, I went with my Most Successful Friend (as her “plus one”) to a new event: Anthropy at the Eden Project in Cornwall. It was an invigorating experiment: a coming-together of leaders from business, charities, government and beyond, to work on a blueprint of positive changes for Britain after Covid. Think Davos, but in a biome. And without the tiered ticketing structure/crazy egos.

I was in at the start (such a trendsetter 😎). Many more people have since got involved — if you’re interested, the next, much bigger, Anthropy conference is in March 2025. This week, I finally met its founder, John O’Brien, to talk about leadership and connection. (No biscuits, though).

Read on for the many benefits of younger people joining boards (PSA: “young” in board terms is 40 something.) And in Office Therapy we advise someone feeling left out at work. We’ve all been there 😥.

Send your stars out to shine as Neds (or become one yourself) 🙋🏽‍♂️

Why not encourage your talented executives to become non-executive directors (Neds) in another organisation? That’s the most original staff retention and career development idea* I’ve heard in a long while. It comes from Warren Partners’ Sally Dunwoody**, a specialist headhunter for leaders in financial services companies.

Sally told me: “If you offer someone who has an executive role the chance to be a non-exec in an organisation that does not compete with what they are doing, it is a great development opportunity for them and you will keep them. You will retain them, they will be trained in a whole range of skills that will be very useful to your business, and you won’t be paying for that training — someone else is.”💡

Even better, Sally said: “[Neds] immediately have access to, say, six other people from the board they are serving on, plus the rest of the company they are working with, plus their resources. All that brings a ton of extras to your business and access to people and places who can coach, mentor and help.”

Generally, serving executives will only have the time to take on one Ned role. What sort of person, I asked Sally, is likely to be a candidate for a Ned role? “You’d be in a broad business role — probably starting to be a functional specialist, so you are probably in finance or marketing, business development or HR. Tech in particular is good — anything to do with tech or data — or a general manager.” For the new generation of Neds, you’re probably at the stage of “ExCo or ExCo minus one”.

The biggest barrier to executives taking on a role elsewhere might not be an unsupportive boss, but age. According to the latest (2023) Spencer Stuart Board Index, the average age of Neds in the UK is 60.9 years: “Female Neds are slightly younger on average (59.3 years) than their male counterparts (62.5).” Boards are proving surprisingly stubborn about recruiting younger people — even those with relevant experience. The very youngest Neds are likely to be in their mid-40s.

It’s something that needs to change, especially now that many companies have four or five generations in the workplace (as discussed here last week). As Sally pointed out: “You need people who are younger round the board table as they can help shift the debate away from ‘this is how we have always done it’ and also they can help ‘get the customer in the board room’. Think about a payday loan business, for example — how many of their board members have ever been in the situation of needing that service?”

There are also plenty of programmes aimed at supporting people into board positions — Warren Partners, for example, has a Board Fellowship Programme that connects FTSE 250 companies with talented people from minority backgrounds. Women on Boards offers networking and training opportunities. And, *declaring an interest*, the FT Board Director Programme offers a diploma for aspiring Neds in the UK and Asia. (Tell me any others you have taken part in, or run, and we will mention them here.)

What can you do to improve your own chances of finding a non-executive position? Thinking several years ahead will help — whether you’re thinking of doing it alongside a corporate job, or as part of a transition to a portfolio career. Becoming a school governor, or a trustee of a charity, are good first steps. Sally’s advice: “Do something that speaks to you, so you lean into it properly and give it the energy and passion it deserves.”

*Got more ideas for expanding the Ned pool 🌊? Email me: isabel.berwick@ft.com

**I first met Sally many years ago, on a campsite in France ⛺️. We reconnected recently, creating another “full circle” moment.

This week on the Working It podcast

Burnout is a huge issue, but very ill-defined — and there’s even more confusion about how to prevent and treat it. Into this void comes the expert voice of this week’s guest on the Working It podcast, Dr Audrey Tang. Audrey is a psychologist, coach and award-winning author. We recorded our talk earlier this month, live on stage at the FT Weekend Festival.

Listen in for tips on spotting early warning signs of burnout in yourself, and in colleagues, and learn how to keep yourself afloat when you are working in a dysfunctional organisation. Lots of great audience questions, too 🏆.

Office Therapy

The problem: I recently found out by chance that I had not been invited to a select workplace dinner. When I heard, I felt like I was in the playground and nobody wanted to play with me. It was pure humiliation and later I was furious. I’m over it but I’m curious: why was my response physical — and how best to deal with “bruises” to our status🤕?

Isabel’s advice: I decided not to answer this myself because my reaction was visceral. It took me back to that moment when I realised my daughter was the only one in the friendship group not invited to the Alpha Girl’s birthday party. It sucks 🤬.

Here’s the rather more impartial (and more impressive) Ben Tye, CEO at digital transformation consultancy Gate One, and also a psychotherapist and executive coach:

“Ouch, I feel for you. Rejection hurts, and being excluded is a powerful form of othering that can bring up feelings of shame, impotent anger and rage.

“It’s telling that you describe an intense physical reaction and feeling like you were back in the playground with no one wanting to play with you. We all carry what’s called our ‘inner child’ within us. It’s a way of describing the younger parts of ourselves that can sometimes emerge during stressful or traumatic situations. In psychological terms, it’s a form of regression when an experience can suddenly take us back to feeling very young and vulnerable.

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“Be good to yourself, acknowledge the pain of being excluded and find a way to be kind to yourself on the day of the dinner. Maybe have one of your own with friends, family and people you love, who love you in return? Finally, if you experience this regularly, you might consider working with a psychodynamic coach or a psychotherapist to work through what is happening and address whatever is there.”

*Got a workplace problem for Office Therapy? Big, small — we tackle them all. Send to isabel.berwick@ft.com. We anonymise everything.

🚨 Office Therapy will be alternating here with the extremely popular “Dear Jonathan” careers advice column by Jonathan Black. Send your career dilemmas to dear.jonathan@ft.com.

Five top stories from the world of work

1. Uber’s next act: taking on Amazon. Newly profitable Uber is in the business of expansion — a great case study on corporate ambition from Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu and Camilla Hodgson. Is it really going to turn into the “operating system for your everyday life”?

2. The office is not the only solution: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent the “return to office” debate into overdrive when he announced that he wanted workers back at their desks five days a week. Emma Jacobs asks how something as boring as the office ended up being such a hot topic.

3. Young women are starting to leave young men behind: Women are making strides in education and workplaces, but the more startling thing is that some young men are actively disengaged — and their prospects are going backwards. A worrying data trends piece from John Burn-Murdoch.

4. Get a grip: why has the UK’s Labour government been so bad at politics? A classic tale of dysfunctional office politics, except this time they are governing the UK. Jim Pickard and Lucy Fisher investigate.

5. PwC average UK partner pay falls to £862,000 as sales growth stalls: No further commentary needed, but PwC is the first of the Big Four to report results, says Simon Foy.

One more thing . . .

If you’ve ever wanted to look more “put together” in your clothing choices, or have felt you don’t really “get” fashion 🤷🏼‍♀️, please read “How I Lost (and Found) My Style at 67“, by Cathy Horyn in The Cut. What will make you feel instantly better is that Cathy is a fashion critic. If she has been uncertain about what to wear, what hope for the rest of us? It’s also a great example of positive ageing — embracing change and making the most of it. (Yes, this is a piece aimed at women — but there are many universal lessons.)

This week’s giveaway

OK, I lied, not a giveaway . . . but a big NY-based future of work conference that’s free to join online. Charter’s Workplace Summit 2024 is on October 8. Register here and join Charter co-founders Kevin Delaney and Erin Grau and other top names on leadership and the future of work. Sessions that caught my eye include JPMorgan’s head of AI on how humans and AI can best work together.

A word from the Working It community . . . 

The newsletter on the benefits of journaling about working life brought in interesting replies, including a couple of readers who questioned the ownership of such artefacts. If you are writing down who said what in meetings . . . does it belong to your employer as evidence if something goes bad 🤢? I will investigate (do send me your expert thoughts).

But my favourite email came from Trigvie Robbins-Jones, known as Trig, a director at PwC. He wrote: “I do something similar in cartoon form because work is too funny to be taken seriously”. I agree, but Trig actually draws his thoughts. And they are brilliant. He’s got a blog, or follow him on LinkedIn, where he posts professional-life-adjacent strips that will lighten your feed when it gets bloated with earnest posts from self-promoters and overcaffeinated conference attendees 😱.

THOUSANDS of borrowers who claim they are ‘mortgage prisoners’ have been ruled against by a high court judge.

The case was brought forward by former Northern Rock mortgage holders who claim TSB Bank charged them unfair interest rates on their “Whistletree” mortgages.

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The borrowers claim they have been stuck paying a standard variable rate (SVR) 2.29% higher than TSB’s own rate, in some cases for up to eight years.

The bank opposed the claims, and said that charging borrowers different rates is a basic feature of the mortgage market.

In the ruling, Judge Nicholas Thompsell said TSB has not breached the terms of the borrowers’ mortgage contracts.

The case, led by borrowers’ lawyer Tim Lord KC, focused on Northern Rock customers whose mortgages were transferred to TSB after the bank collapsed in 2008. 

Lord argued that many customers were unable to switch to cheaper rates or move to another lender because stricter mortgage rules introduced in 2014 meant they couldn’t pass new affordability checks. 

He claimed this left them mortgage prisoners, with TSB “disproportionately profiting” from the situation.

But TSB, represented by Sonia Tolaney KC, said the bank offers different products to customers with varying risk profiles, and that this was “neither surprising nor unfair.”

In his 49-page ruling, Judge Thompsell agreed, stating that TSB was following the same SVR Northern Rock had previously applied. 

He ruled that the rate, now called the ‘Whistletree SVR’, is simply a continuation of the original rate and that TSB was acting within the terms of the mortgage contracts.

Following the ruling, a TSB spokesperson said: “We welcome the court’s decision today, which recognises that TSB acted in accordance with the terms of Whistletree mortgage contracts.”

TSB added that more than two-thirds of affected customers had switched to a new mortgage product or settled their mortgages since 2016.

The borrowers lost this round but their legal team isn’t giving up. 

Matthew Patching, a partner at law firm Harcus Parker, said: “Our clients are disappointed with the result, but are looking forward to progressing their claims to the next stage.”

A further hearing is expected to take place in the case.

What is a mortgage prisoner?

A mortgage prisoner is a homeowner who is unable to switch to a better mortgage deal, even though they are keeping up to date on their payments. 

Mortgage prisoners are often trapped with their existing mortgage, paying more money than they need to. 

This is because when an introductory mortgage rate ends, the borrower typically moves on to the lender’s SVR, which is usually more expensive than the previous rate.

In 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) estimated that there were 47,000 mortgage prisoners in the UK.

LEGOLAND Windsor is open for almost half the year, before it eventually shuts for the winter.

However, the park opens back up in October to welcome guests for Brick and Treat. Here’s everything you need to know about the event.

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What is Legoland Windsor?

Legoland Windsor is part of the Lego group and operated by Merlin Entertainment.

Initially opened on March 17, 1996, the much-loved attraction has more than 55 rides and attractions inside.

Ideal for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12, the theme park even has Lego-themed hotels and live shows and entertainment.

When does Legoland Windsor close in 2024?

Legoland Windsor normally opens in March to welcome guests for the summer, before it winds down operations for the winter.

In 2024, the park opened on March 15 before closing up for the winter period on September 25.

However, the park reopens to welcome guests for special events and festive activities over the winter.

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What is the Brick or Treat Festival and when is it?

One event that the park reopens for is Legoland Windsor’s Brick or Treat which takes place between October 1 to November 3rd, 2024.

The event sees Legoland Windsor undergo a spooky transformation and features attractions that are unique to Brick or Treat.

Monster Street and The Monster Jam Show are particular favourites for guests.

Monster Street is a walkthrough experience, which features LEGO monsters and ghouls.

The Monster Jam Show is a thrilling concert experience, filled with costumes and music.

Brick and Treat isn’t the only event at that Legoland Windsor reopens for.

The park reopens on certain dates in December to welcome guests for Christmas.

What is the address for Legoland Windsor and how do I get there?

The much-loved resort is located in Windsor, just west of London.

Its full address is Winkfield Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 4AY.

For those travelling by car, these are the best routes:

• M3: exit at Junction 3
• M25 Northbound (Clockwise): exit at Junction 13
• M4: exit at Junction 6

Parking is not included in the ticket.

Legoland Windsor is well-connected by public transport, with trains taking half an hour from London Paddington to Windsor via Slough, or from London Waterloo in under an hour which goes direct to Windsor.

Legoland Windsor Factbox

Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Legoland Windsor in 2024:

• Legoland Windsor will be officially open from March 15, 2024, to September 25, 2024
• Located in Windsor, just west of London, the theme park’s full address is Winkfield Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 4AY
• Trains take half an hour from London Paddington to Windsor via Slough
• Trains from London Waterloo take around an hour and go directly to Windsor
• Tickets should be booked in advance online
• An online saver ticket costs £35 per adult, saving you £33 if you purchased the same ticket at the gate
• Parking is not included in the ticket, and you’ll need to pay £8 for a ticket, although booking in advance will save you £1

Former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove has been appointed editor of The Spectator following the purchase of the current affairs magazine by Sir Paul Marshall.

Fraser Nelson will leave the current affairs magazine after 15 years as editor, but will continue to write for it as an associate editor which he said was on the request of Gove.

Meanwhile former Spectator (1984-1990) and Telegraph editor Charles Moore will become non-executive chairman after the departure of Andrew Neil.

Moore has been given a specific remit to “safeguard the editorial independence and soul of the magazine during its expansion”.

Gove had previously been tipped as a potential editor of The Spectator when it was rumoured that his former employer Rupert Murdoch might be in the running to buy it.