The Breakfast Grille

iCar Asia CEO Damon Rielly discusses the following issues:  - Sept 2012 ASX listing - issues  - Why an ASX listing  - Catcha Media - synergies  - Earnings: junior - revenues of just 300,000 Aussie dollars in 2012, and operating losses of 1.8 million Aussie, itself a great deal higher than the year earlier. What’s the story behind the numbers?  - CarSales.com stake pu...

Sona Petroleum Bhd MD Datuk Seri Hadian Hashim discusses the following questions:  - SPACs -- in which … investors buy stock in a shell company in the hope that the management team locate and monetise qualified assets .. .. have acquired somewhat of a bad reputation among the regulators, who have either rejected or delayed a number of SPACs. (Australasia and Terra Gali spring to m...

Barisan Nasional has named Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed as the Public Accounts Committee chairman, a key parliamentary post that has oversight over government spending. We speak to him how the bi-partisan committee aids in good governance. Jazlan is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants UK and  a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants.  See omnystudio....

There will be one billion middleclass consumers in China and India, and more than 135 million Chinese and Indians will graduate from college compared to 30 million in the US in the next 10 years. Michael J Silverstein, partner and leader of The Boston Consulting Group's consumer practice and co-author of "The $10 Trillion Prize: Captivating the Newly Affluent in China and India" talks about the ha...

Mohammad Faiz Azmi, Executive Chairman of PwC joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - close scrutiny by the public of the conduct within the profession - the public trust deficit and ethical standards - "rules based" versus "principles based" approach to accounting standards - convergence of Malaysian standards to International reporting standards - corporate governance in Malaysian entitie...

In this 2013 interview, Roland Folger, the CEO & President of Mercedes Benz Malaysia, discusses the following questions:  - MB - fell to No.2 in Malaysia in passenger car sales last year  - Competition - BMW - passenger car leadership - what happened - BMW’s win was reportedly attributed to two things: a dealership expansion and the introduction of new variants, such as the lux...

Sumatec Resources Berhad CEO, Chris Dalton talks about :  - Roles of stakeholders - Clarification of risks involved - Regarding payments made to Markmore and vice versa - Breakeven levels - Private placement investors - Utilisation of rights proceeds -  200m barrels of oil reserve target - is this too ambitious? - Further asset injections by Halim Saad? - Gas pipeline   - Debt ratio...

David Nelson, the Asia Managing Director of US-based Horizon Group Properties, Developers and owners of Factory outlet shopping centres, discusses:  - Distinction - factory outlets versus conventional retail outlets  - Why typically farther out, not centrally located  - Horizon has 10 retail developments in the United States and one JV project with a local partner in China - making...

Adrian Halter, VP of Certina Swiss Watches -Sports identity - Product tested in different sports for quality - Product caters to sports people as well as those who prefer classic designs - New in Asia but stressing the importance of being in Asia - Malaysia is a developed market in terms of profiled products - Competition from China - Competition with other sports watches - Focused on price range...

Dato' Wong Siew Hai of the Malaysian American Electronics Industry Association (MAEI) discusses the state and future of the Malaysian electrical and electronics (E&E) industry. - High technology - are Malaysian companies up-to-date? - Growth hotspots in E&E - US innovation - what lessons can Malaysia learn? - Understanding complex relationship in electronics supply chain and where to get n...

FACT Software CEO Arvind Agarwalla discusses:  - Startup - motivations - funding - shareholding - partners  - Early metrics - takeup rate  - Market positioning - lower/mid/upper  - Whether part of a wider ERP proposition  - No. of seats - geographical positioning  - Revenue streams - sale / implementation / subscription / support / payments / mobile  - Core marke...

In this 2013 interview and on the eve of its Main market IPO, Air Asia X CEO Azran Osman Rani discusses the following issues:  - The final price of 1.25 ringgit fixed in the middle of the bookbuilding range of between RM1.15 - RM1.45 per share;- Selling point - key reservations;  - Capacity: regional competition: both AirAsia and Lion Air have placed sizeable orders -- in the region of 6...

Calvin Ooi Shang How, Executive Director of Leon Fuat Bhd joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - life a month after listing on the KL stock exchange - changes needed to go from a family run business to one with 28% free float - how long it took to prepare the company for the IPO - timing of the listing - share price dipped 13% after IPO - changing focus to increase proportion of processing...

John Culver, Group President of China and Asia Pacific for Starbucks joins us on the Breakfast Grille to discuss: - growth in APAC and China for the group - the importance of the region for Starbucks - regional consumption habits - why Starbucks has succeeded in the region - frequency of customer visits - coffee farming in Yunan - coffee retail prices - product diversification - loyalty cards See...

Geoffroy de Drouas, Business Development General Manager of Bonia Group joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - Bonia's position in the market - why it acquired Jeco Pte Ltd in Singapore and its impact on cash balances - who they sell to - product diversification and quality within each of each brands - variable shopping habits of their different markets - whether their branding strategy is...

The Right Honorable Hugo Swire MP, British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, joins us on the breakfast grille. He visited Malaysia in June as part of a tour of the region and launched the Malaysia UK Alumni programme during his visit. We discuss: - Britain's recent increased interest in the region - the significance of the Malaysian consortium redeveloping the Battersea Pow...

Herve Lampert, CEO of Dedon, the global outdoor furniture company from Germany, talks about creating employment for Filipino weavers, adopting cutting-edge technology, and creating an international brandname. Dedon furniture can be found in the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, and in the homes of celebrities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Victoria is geographically the smallest mainland state, it is Australia's most densely-populated state and home to Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. On the Breakfast Grille is Dr Denis Napthine, the 47th Premier of the state of Victoria, Australia. He discusses, among other things: -- his first one hundred days in office -- The Asian Century -- engaging with Asia for business: the...

More than 25 million Africans are HIV positive and AIDS is the leading cause of premature death in the continent. Dr Mitchell Besser, founder of  Mothers   2   Mothers  talks about his innovative model of empowering women to help HIV patients who are mostly women. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

- Reason for ETP's creation of PPA and PRS - PRS complements EPF to fund retirement - Comparison of PRS to retirement schemes in other countries - One-third savings is the rule-of-thumb for adequate retirement planning - EPF already providing two-thirds savings, so another one-third savings required - Diversification issues of PRS schemes - Product offerings of PRS will be driven by providers - De...

Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, MD of YTL Group on Companies takes time off from Invest Malaysia to joins us on the super grille.  - HSR link: issues  - Update on Yes 4G - subs / breakeven  - Power division update: Seraya in Singapore, Project 3B in Malaysia  - M&A trail: update  - Update on plans to consolidate entire business structure.   See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Dato' Sri Nazir Razak, CEO for CIMB Group  takes time off from Invest Malaysia to joins us on the super grille. - QE tapering - implications: dealfow  - Update: Indonesia operations  - Consumer banking outlook: Malaysia Regional IB ops - Assimilation update (incl RBS) Thai Dual listing: implications    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Lim Kuang Sia, CEO & MD of Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd takes time off from Invest Malaysia to joins us on the super grille. - Demand outlook   - Minimum wage and mechanisation - Rubber prices outlook - Avian flu impact on glove demand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stewart LaBrooy, CEO of AXIS REIT discusses:  - update on negotiations for the injection of warehouses, hypermarkets or business parks worth RM400m - plans to improve existing properties - oversupply of office space in the market - Phase 1 of KLIFD ie Tun Razak Exchange - main risks he's keeping an eye on - Axiata’s gross yield, which is less attractive than 6.9% average of the more liq...

Tengku Dato' Zafrul, Group CEO of Maybank Investment Bank  takes time off from Invest Malaysia to joins us on the super grille. - New CEO - Tengku Zafrul is committed to Maybank - Investment Banking  - where deals will come from - Kim Eng acquisition- how it has helped - Contribution from foreign markets - BII acquisition has paid off - Growth - Looking for acquistion in Thailand - Inves...