The Breakfast Grille

On International Youth Day, we take a look at the realities facing young Malaysians, from underemployment and mismatched degrees to the promises of new policies like Undi18, MPBM2030, and the 13th Malaysia Plan. Fanitsyara Kam Phon, President of the Perdana Fellows Alumni Association, and Wan Amirah Wan Usamah from Khazanah Research Institute share their insights. See omnystudio.com/list...

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is evolving to prepare future accountants as versatile business leaders, focusing on skills like ethics, AI, and sustainability. Azlina Bulmer, Interim International Director of ICAEW shares insights on how the institute is reshaping the profession and engaging new talent in Malaysia. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio....

Turner & Townsend has been in Malaysia for 30 years, helping deliver some of the country’s most complex construction projects. As demand grows, how is the firm adapting to local needs while maintaining global standards? We speak with Sumit Mukherjee, Managing Director Southeast Asia, Turner & Townsend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What will it take to reverse the decline of the Malayan tiger? Sophia Lim, Executive Director and CEO of WWF-Malaysia, talks about the urgent conservation push and how the organisation is funded to play the long-term conservation game. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Energy Commission plays an outsized role by ensuring that Malaysia has a reliable, safe and cost effective supply of electricity and gas. Siti Safinah Salleh, their CEO tells us how they achieve this whilst discussing if Malaysia is on track of achieving its RE goals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Snowflake, a cloud data company has been in Asia for many years but has of late increased its footprint in Asean. We ask Satchit Joglekar, Managing Director, Snowflake ASEAN as to the reasons for this, the competition and their strategy for growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oasis Home Holding Bhd made history in May as Malaysia’s first listed live commerce company, debuting on the ACE Market in May 2025. CEO Datuk Jaden Teoh sheds light on what’s next for the company, and how live-streamed sales are reshaping e-commerce in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SIRIM Berhad is one of Malaysia’s most recognisable yet least understood public institutions even as it celebrates its golden jubilee. Best known for certifying consumer and industrial products, it also plays a deeper role in supporting industrial R&D, standards development, and national innovation. Datuk Dr Ahmad Sabirin Arshad, SIRIM's former President and Group CEO reflects on SIRIM's legac...

The World Bank recently published its Inclusive Employment Practices Survey 2024, which aims to provide insights into inclusive employment practices among firms in Malaysia. We’ll be speaking with the report’s author, Shakira Teh Sharifuddin, World Bank Senior Economist for Malaysia about the survey’s findings and policy recommendations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Volvo has transformed from a safety-first Swedish brand into a sleek, electrified marque under Geely’s ownership. Chris Wailes, Managing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia & Thailand talks about how the carmaker is preserving its premium identity while navigating local realities in Malaysia and Thailand as well as what’s next for the brand in Southeast Asia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

According to the UN, six of the world’s top ten remittance-receiving countries are in the Asia Pacific region, highlighting the critical role these funds play in supporting families. Yet, the industry faces growing pressures, from intense competition to falling transfer fees. Epsen Kristensen, Asia Pacific Managing Director of Ria Money Transfer, joins us to discuss how the company is navigating t...

The Malaysia Competition Commission is set to get more bite once amendments to the Competition Act 2010 makes it through Parliament some time this year. Datuk Iskandar Ismail, CEO of MyCC, joins us to explain how the Commission investigates cartels, enforces fair play in the market, and what new powers it’s seeking through these upcoming legal reforms. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio...

The oil and gas industry is known for its boom and bust cycles. How then does Velesto an upstream drilling company navigate these challenges. Questions we pose to Megat Zariman their President whilst asking for their growth strategy and why should one be a shareholder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been 2 1⁄2 years since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took office, leading a minority government after GE15 with reform promises up to its gills. Ibrahim Suffian from Merdeka Center and Shahril Hamdan, political commentator and co-host of the Keluar Sekejap podcast share their thoughts on what the Madani administration has achieved and where it has fallen short. See omnystudio.com/li...

Science Minister Chang Lih Kang talks about Malaysia’s ambitions in space, AI, and what it really takes to build a tech-driven future that’s inclusive, competitive, and homegrown as Malaysia faces a complex set of challenges in advancing innovation at scale. We also get his take on the goings on within Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and whether the government is stable enough to enact much needed ref...

Faber-Castell is a legacy brand making pens and colour pencils in a world that's getting more used to ChatGPT, iPads and AI textbooks. Its managing director, Andrew Woon talks to us about digital disruption, smart factories, sustainability and why the humble pencil still matters. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Malaysian companies are caught in the whirlwind of uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs. So, how challenging is it to navigate such turbulent times? Questions we pose to Synergy House, a cross-border e-commerce seller and furniture exporter as their Executive Director, Tan Eu Tah, joins us. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Timor Leste is working hard to join ASEAN, aiming for full membership at the upcoming summit this October. H.E. Lisualdo Gaspar, Ambassador of Timor Leste to Malaysia, shares the country’s efforts in infrastructure development, economic integration, and also reflecting on its journey of peace and reconciliation after years of conflict with Indonesia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

We dive into the world of POPMART, the brand that's taken Asia by storm with its wildly hyped blind boxes and designer toys. We speak with POPMART’s Head of Southeast Asia and Middle East, Jeremy Lee, to unpack the youth-driven culture, creative strategies, and global expansion behind the craze. This interview comes as the Chinese toy firm announced yesterday that its profits for the first six mon...

ASM Automation Group Bhd, a provider of end to end automated machinery solutions for food and beverage packaging recently debuted on Bursa Malaysia’s ACE Market earlier this month. We speak to Kamalam Kurup Krishnan, their Executive Director about the utilisation of their proceeds, their strategy for growth and if it's time to buy their shares. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/lis...

Samaiden Group Berhad, once purely an EPCC contractor, is now transitioning into a renewable energy asset owner. Datuk Ir Chow Pui Hee, Samaiden's Group Managing Director, shares how the company is navigating government programmes like CGPP and LSS5+, investing in land for future solar farms, and aiming to build recurring income streams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Loi Tuan Ee, Managing Director, Farm Fresh Malaysia gives us an update on how the company is doing, its expansion plans including East Malaysia as it grows its product portfolio, such as ice cream, and accelerates it expansion to Philippines and Cambodia. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Animated films are a bright spot for the Malaysian industry, with Ejen Ali the Movie 2 breaking box office records this year. How does the homegrown studio view the prospects and ecosystem of the local animation industry? We discuss this with Wau Animation CEO Usamah Zaid Yasin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At our bi-annual investment outlook and with a plethora of headwinds, what is the best investment strategy to adopt? How can you build a resilient portfolio and what are the money making ideas? Anand Pathmakanthan, Head of Regional Equity Research, Maybank Investment Banking Group and Patrick Chang, Chief Investment Officer for Affluent Product & Proposition, CIMB Bank Berhad tells u...

Philip See will be joined by Freddy Wong, Executive Director, Wentel Engineering Holdings Bhd on today’s Breakfast Grille. They’ll be discussing the company’s finances, listing exercise, its new plant in Johor, whether there’s a worry of product concentration, and more. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.