Under The Radar

Water is an essential part of our lives, but ever wondered who are the ones behind the clean water we use and drink everyday? Our guest for today is Memiontec, a Catalist-listed water treatment company that designs and builds systems and water treatment plants in countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and China.  Recently, the company also moved into financing, operating and maintaining plants and...

Imagine building a platform where you can search, book and meet mentors from around the world to seek career advice.  That’s what our guest for today did during the pandemic to make mentorship accessible for everyone.  Founded in 2020, ADPList is a global community of mentors and learners, and so far, the community has grown to over 14,000 people with over 15 million minutes mentored in about 140...

The accounting and professional services sector is at the centre of our conversation today.  According to the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, Singapore projects 6,000 to 7,000 new accounting jobs by 2025, adding on to the current workforce of over 100,000 employees.  Globally, the Big Four accounting firms also went on hiring sprees of their own last year, with the companies already...

Today we’re going to give you an overview of one of the largest privately held real estate investors and managers in the world.  Founded in 1957, Hines is a real estate investment, development and management firm with presence in 395 cities across 30 countries and US$95.79 billion of investment assets under management as of the end of last year.  The company has historically developed, redeveloped...

We’re going to talk all about the buses we take to get to and off work every other day.  Our guest for today is from Volvo Buses, which is one of the world’s leading providers of sustainable people transport solutions.  Offering premium city and intercity buses, coaches, and chassis, Volvo Buses has sales in 85 countries and a global service network with more than 1,500 dealerships and workshops. ...

Classic cars – or those that are at least 35-years-old from their original registration date - that’s on our agenda today.  Such vehicles have gained increased popularity in recent years. According to Forbes citing collectible car website Classic.com, a sizable list of desirable up-and-comers have appreciated in value by as much as 88%. But really, what is driving the market?  Also – with Statista...

We’re going to talk all about succession and business leadership development today.  While departments such as human resources may be labelled as cost centres, effective talent development and management can reap tangible outcomes for businesses when it comes to the dollars and cents.  According to a report by the Boston Consulting Group in 2015,” talent magnets” – or companies that rated themselv...

India’s retail scene is at the heart of our conversation, with the country being the fifth largest global destination in the retail space and expected to reach US$2 trillion in value by 2032 based on an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group. So how do international brands get a slice of the booming Indian market? Well perhaps the answer lies in licensees who operate and manage the brand in their...

Can you imagine that it has been about three-and-a-half-years since the pandemic started and when all of us had to work remotely from home using video conferencing tools?  As the dust settles and as face-to-face meetings resume, we want to find out what’s next for companies providing video conferencing solutions, such as Zoom.  Speaking of Zoom, the company seems to be betting big on AI and enterp...

What comes to mind when you put shopping and the airport together? How does duty free shopping sound?  Well, our guest for today is from The Shilla Duty Free Singapore, which operates over 20 Cosmetics and Perfume stores across four terminals in Singapore’s Changi International Airport.  The company is part of Shilla Duty Free, and an affiliate of Samsung. In South Korea, Shilla Duty Free operates...

When it comes to a franchise business, one would think of fast food chains to the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and so forth. Instead of that we are going to talk about an unconventional franchise business that doesn’t quite come to mind when we think of franchises.  With a network of over 300 highly connected, mutually supporting businesses and organisations in 92 countries, the World...

The retail investment landscape in the region is in focus today as we look at how industry players are tapping growing numbers of retail investors during the pandemic.  Our guest for today is from financial services firm CMC Markets, which serves over 80,000 clients globally in areas such as equity, commodities and indices trading.  The firm is present in a number of geographies including Singapor...

Today we’re going to talk all about being a modern farmer in Singapore.  Armed with technology from Israel that has turned strips of deserts into fruit orchards, our guest from today is Netatech Group, which is known for building farms and growing some of the most commonly eaten vegetables in Singapore including Nai bai, Kailan and water spinach.  Unlike traditional farms, Netatech uses drip irrig...

Let’s talk about telcos today. And we want to focus our attention on mainboard-listed StarHub which had released its Q1 results just about a couple of weeks ago.  The company posted a 26 per cent rise in net profits to S$37.5 million for the first quarter ended March.  StarHub attributed its Q1’s performance to higher service revenue, which grew 11 per cent year-on-year, despite sustained market c...

We want to talk about the banking sector and in particular the digital banking sector which has gained traction in recent years.  You may be familiar with Grab and Singtel’s GXS, Sea Group’s MariBank, as well as Standard Chartered and FairPrice Group backed Trust Bank.  Aside from these banks catering to retail customers, Singapore also has two wholesale digital banks, namely Ant Group’s ANEXT Ban...

Bringing London's West End to the far reaches of the world. That’s what we are going to talk about today.  Our guest for today is the British Theatre Playhouse, a Singapore-incorporated theatre production company that has produced and presented a series of highly successful British productions in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and the UK. Since its foundi...

Our guest for today will certainly ring a bell, especially if you love to print out all your electronic documents. Drumrolls - we are talking about FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corporation, also formerly known as Fuji Xerox before a rebranding exercise done between 2020 and 2021.  From a copier printer company back in the early 1990s, FUJIFILM Business Innovation has now evolved to meet the demand...

Can you imagine a world without keys? Well, that’s the vision of a Singapore-headquartered company that makes smart locks and lockboxes.    Founded in 2015, igloocompany offers a holistic suite of software and hardware products that enable seamless and secure accessibility for a robust digital economy.  Since then, igloocompany has also grown over the years to include an enterprise focused vertica...

At this time of the day we want to ask the question - what’s for afternoon tea. We're asking this question because we’re talking to a company that sells a snack commonly paired with Kopi O or soybean milk.  Bingo if you’ve guessed Youtiao or Chinese fried dough sticks. Our guest for today is You Tiao Man, which had its humble beginnings in a hawker stall back in the 1940s.  That is, before its fou...

We’ve talked in depth about artificial intelligence, synthetic data and ChatGPT. Now, what’s next? How about a new AI chatbot called SeaGPT?  Developed by Singapore-based company Greywing, SeaGPT uses GPT-4 technology to help shipping companies navigate port agency communication hurdles.  With SeaGPT, emails related to port agency communication can be instantly automated. It can also handle questi...

Generative AI has been the talk of the town in recent months with the launch of ChatGPT.  But have you ever wondered just how much data is processed for these so-called ‘AI models’ to build up their so-called ‘experience’ and provide us with the answers we want? Plus, how do AI companies get around the issue of data protection worldwide amid rising user awareness on privacy?  Well, one answer to t...

Meatballs! That’s what we are going to talk about today. When it comes to meatballs, the first thing that comes to mind would be perhaps chicken meat balls, or those made from beef, pork, or even lamb, served in soup or with a scoop of delectable sauce.  But how about a giant meatball made from flesh cultivated using the DNA of the extinct woolly mammoth?  Well, that’s exactly what Australian cult...

With the earnings season in full swing in Singapore, we want to turn our attention to REITs, and in particular we want to zoom in on AIMS APAC REIT, which has just announced its FY2023 results today.  Listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange since 2007, Aims APAC Reit invests in a diversified portfolio of logistics, business parks and industrial real estate across APAC, including subsegme...

Supercars are on our agenda today, and this time, we want to talk about luxury car brand Lamborghini and its new hybrid model, the Revuelto. Priced at around US$600,000, the Revuelto is Lamborghini’s first ever plug-in hybrid.  The model, which was launched just back in March, already has a waiting list and two years worth of orders by mid-April, signalling the strength of the wealthy consumer ami...

Whether you’re heading out for work or leisure, ride hailing has become one of the most common modes of transportation these days.  Besides tech giants Grab and Gojek, we want to talk about a newer player on the block that has been gaining prominence in Southeast Asia - TADA.  Launched in Singapore in 2018, TADA is the world’s first blockchain-based zero-commission ride hailing application, where...