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The appointment comes after the cofounders regained control of the brand and launched a structural revamp.

PARIS — French contemporary fashion label Ba&sh has appointed Jimmy Lam chief executive officer for the Asia-Pacific region, as the brand accelerates its post-restructuring turnaround and seeks to deepen its footprint across Asia.

Lam will lead the brand’s strategy and operations across key Asia-Pacific markets. He will report directly to Ba&sh co-CEO Dan Arrouas and will be based in Shanghai.

The move marks a strategic push by Ba&sh to make Asia a core growth territory, following a year of recovery driven by the European and Asian markets.

“Ba&sh is a brand with a distinctive spirit and global ambition, and I am excited to lead its journey across Asia-Pacific — a region rich in diversity, modern femininity, and opportunity,” Lam told WWD. “With a strong foundation and a passionate team, I look forward to accelerating our growth, deepening our connection with customers and building a dynamic presence that reflects the brand’s unique values. I am fully committed to contributing to Ba&sh’s continued success and shaping a bold future in this vibrant region.”

Lam was most recently CEO of SMCP Asia, parent company of French brands Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot, where he spent nine years leading the group’s expansion and omnichannel development in the region. His career also includes senior roles at S.T. Dupont, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Harvey Nichols and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton across Asia.

“His deep knowledge of Asian markets, combined with his proven expertise in building global brands and his strong ability to bring together multicultural teams, will be instrumental in supporting our growth ambitions,” said Arrouas, who leads Ba&sh alongside cofounders Sharon Krief and Barbara Boccara.

“Having progressively advanced from operational roles to senior leadership positions, Jimmy has developed a unique understanding of the retail industry, which will be a major asset for Ba&sh,” Arrouas added.

Founded in 2003, Ba&sh entered court-led restructuring in 2024, during which the three original founders regained control of the company. Under their “New Beginnings” turnaround plan, the brand is aiming to return to profitable growth and operational discipline with a renewed focus on full-price sales and key regional leadership hires.

In April, Ba&sh appointed former Iro CEO Rahav Zuta to lead its North American operations. Lam’s appointment is a complementary move to reinforce regional leadership to fuel global growth.

The privately held Ba&sh reported 300 million euros in revenue in 2024, with 25 percent of sales from online. The brand currently operates 320 stores globally and employs around 1,400 people.

Lam’s appointment is expected to help localize and scale the brand’s strategy in fast-evolving markets such as China and across Southeast Asia.

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Danish developer and US private capital group discuss deal for Hornsea 3 wind farm

The world’s largest offshore wind developer, Ørsted, is in talks to sell a stake in its flagship UK project to Apollo as it tries to shore up its balance sheet following a run of setbacks.

Ørsted and the US private capital group are discussing a deal for a 50 per cent share of the £8.5bn Hornsea 3 wind farm off the east coast of the UK, according to people familiar with the matter.

The 2.9-gigawatt project is one of eight offshore wind farms Ørsted is trying to finish building around the world amid higher costs, supply-chain strains and political disruption that have stretched its finances.

The Danish company has said it wants to raise at least DKr35bn ($5.5bn) combined from the sales of Hornsea 3, a stake in an offshore wind project in Taiwan and its European onshore wind business.

The Copenhagen-listed group is also raising in the region of DKr60bn from shareholders in a rights issue, having failed to sell a stake in its Sunrise Wind project off the US east coast.

Investors have been spooked by Donald Trump’s hostility to the sector, spurred by the US president’s long-standing animosity towards wind turbines, although political sentiment in Europe is more favourable.

Ørsted launched the Hornsea 3 sale process late last year and said in August that it had a preferred bidder for the stake, without revealing who this was. People familiar with the matter now say the negotiations are with Apollo, the New York-based firm that manages more than $800bn.

Apollo has been an active dealmaker in European energy infrastructure, including a move this month with RWE to invest in Germany’s electricity grid and $4.5bn in financing announced in June for the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear energy plant.

Ørsted traditionally sells stakes in offshore wind projects to raise funds for the next ones, although this model has become more challenging due to the Trump administration’s hostility to the sector as well as higher interest rates.

It sold stakes in four UK offshore wind farms to the Canadian infrastructure investor Brookfield for about £1.7bn last year.

A sale of Hornsea 3 would be a further boost for Ørsted in a week when it persuaded a US judge to lift a Trump administration order to stop work on its Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island.

Yet Ørsted’s problems are not all connected to the president, and the company was suffering even before he returned to power, with rising costs and supply-chain strains buffeting the entire industry.

Ørsted had to walk away from two projects in the US in 2023 and has halted development of another UK scheme, Hornsea 4, blaming higher costs and the risks of construction delays.

Ørsted and Apollo declined to comment.

Italy’s competition watchdog imposes one of the biggest penalties imposed by a national regulator in Europe

Italy’s competition watchdog has fined Eni and other five oil companies more than €900mn for allegedly setting up a fuel price cartel in one of the biggest penalties imposed by a national regulator in Europe.

The AGCM said on Friday it found that the most “important oil companies operating in Italy engaged in an agreement restricting competition in the sale of automotive fuel” and imposed fines worth a combined €936mn. 

Eni was handed the largest penalty of €336mn, while ExxonMobil-owned Esso, Italy’s IP and Kuwaiti Q8 were fined between €129mn and €172mn, the regulator’s statement said. Saras and Tamoil, owned by Italy’s billionaire Moratti family and Netherlands based Oilinvest respectively, both had penalties below €100mn.

The regulator said the action had followed a “complex investigation” triggered by a whistleblower complaint. The petrol companies “colluded to determine the value of the bio-based component added to the price of fuel”, according to the statement. 

The specific component was introduced by oil majors to comply with regulatory requirements. The competition authority said the cartel began in 2020 and lasted for three years, during which time the price of the bio-based component increased from about €20 a cubic metre to about €60.

The companies were not immediately available for comment.