The Breakfast Grille

Yaw Seng Heng, Managing Director for Nippon Paint Malaysia discusses the growth of the business in the decorative, industrial, and marine & protective coatings segment. He shares Nippon Paint's strategies to increase its market share and how they've managed to claim the No.1 spot in the decorative paint industry. Yaw also touches on the company's expansion into Bangladesh & Pakistan,...

Kimlun Corp Bhd CEO Sim Tian Liang on the Breakfast Grille.  He discusses its construction and manufacturing business and its strong orderbook of RM1.8bil. Sim also talks about how Iskandar Malaysia and IBS projects will continue to drive the construction division and touches on future prospects in Singapore. KimLun will also launch their maiden property project in Cyberjaya -- Sim revea...

Malaysia is far behind countries like South Korea and Japan in terms of design. Dato Professor Dr Ahmad Rahim Zainuddin, the Chairman of the Malaysian Design Council, explains why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shaun Di Gregorio, CEO of the iProperty Group discusses iProperty's business proposition and why the model works here.  He shares with us some key findings from the latest iProperty survey: What are Malaysians looking for? Where are they looking at? What's the sentiment in the property market?  Shaun also talks about why affordability is still a key concern and if the property initiative...

Cocoaland Holdings is in the stage of an investment up-cycle. Planned capex is RM30 million, and annual capacity will be 4 million kg. According to AmResearch, earnings is expected to jump 65% to RM35 million in FY13. It is possible that sales and market valuation may double in five years, Tai Chun Wah, the finance director of Cocoaland, says.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

The post-Budget 2013 panel discussion on the Breakfast Grille with Melewar Industrial Group CEO, Azlan Abdullah and Deloitte Malaysia Country Tax Leader, Yee Wing Peng. Listen to their analysis on the initiatives and incentives that were announced, as well as their thoughts on what did NOT make it into the budget. You can also watch the video at  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25832319 See om...

Dato' Ahmad Zaini Othman President and CEO of the financier, Malaysia Building Society Bhd.,  and Yvonne Tan, Equities Chief Investment Officer of the investment management company, Eastspring Investment Discuss Budget 2013 expectations, including: - Fiscal deficit - Govt debt - Corporate and Personal taxes - SME development - Financial Sector lieralisation - Affordable housing and property -...

On the Breakfast Grille, Kumar Tharmalingam, CEO of Malaysia Property Incorporated, discusses: -- MPI's mandate to drive investments in real estate into Malaysia and its role as a matchmaker between foreign investment queries and local property players -- The international perception of Malaysian real estate -- Competition from other real estate markets, in terms of attracting FDIs -- MPI's report...

Lars Kroijer, Author of Money Mavericks: Confessions of a Hedge Fund Manager former CEO of Holte Capital, discusses:  - Beginning a hedge fund - difficulties of raising capital;  - Raising capital in today's risk environment;  - Managing fickle investors;  - Miimum AUMs to start hedge fund today;  - Investing Strategy as USP;  - Trading strategies;  - Fees - refo...

Professor Peter Zemsky, the Deputy Dean of Degree Programmes and Curriculum at INSEAD, the international graduate business school. He discusses: -- If enrolment for MBA programmes have dropped as a result of the global slowdown and if B-School applications are directly proportionate to economic health -- Which countries the applicants of the MBA programmes are they coming from, at which level of t...

Vikram Chakravarty, co-author of ' Asian Mergers & Acquisitions : Riding the Wave ' discusses how deal activity is on the rise in Asia, while comparing the differences between M&A in Asia and in the West. As outlined in the book, Vikram delves into how M&As can transform GLCs in Asia. He also touches on the post merger intergration, as clashes in culture have crashed many an M&A be...

Pandelela Rinong Pamg, national diver, first Malaysian woman Olympics medalist, and K-pop lover, talks about her journey, and the sacrifices of a champion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blaupunkt Group CEO Dr Lars Placke discusses:  - Current status of Malaysia manufacturing hub - Penang - skills - tax breaks - ease of doing business issues;  - Value chain - current - future;  - R&D - Moving to Malaysia - New Plant in Penang - Investment details: - plans invest total >12 million euros further expansion of activities Asia-Pacific;  - Challenges - rising...

Caroline Russell, CEO of Boh Plantations, tells how she is keeping the 80+ year old brand relevant in the face of more competition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this 2012 interview,  SEG International Founder/GMD Dato' Seri Clement Hii discusses:  - Transformation from Journalist to Businessman; - Failed Navis privatisation of SEGI - issues;  - Stint as Deputy Executive Chairman at Star Publications Bhd.; - Education blueprint - execution - political will - implementation; - SYF Resources - plans - issues; - Business climate - confi...

Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC): --  gives an update on MSC Malaysia, clusters and companies;  --  discusses MDeC's process in the awarding of grants; --  the stacking strategy for the InfoTech cluster; --  performance of the Creative Multimedia cluster; --  the roll-out of Digital Malaysia and how it's different from MSC...

The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) is an operational unit of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. It assists foreign companies wishing to establish their business in the Netherlands and to take advantage of the Dutch business environment as a strategic base to cover Europe. Karin Rancuret, the Area Director for Southeast Asia for NFIA, discuss...

i-Bhd CEO, Datuk Eu Hong Chew, discusses: - 2004 decision to exit appliances into property; - Positioning in 'digital cities'; - i-City development - flagship and only ongoing development -- old project - dating since 2005 - issues; - Only 15 per cent has been developed -- MSC, Pakatan effect; - Leisure element; - Landbanking - lack thereof; - Shareholders - - Sumurwang - Permodalan Nasional Berha...

Datin Mina Cheah-Foong, founder of Rampai Niaga, the sole franchise holder for The Body Shop in Malaysia. She shares with us her story of how she started out getting involved in The Body Shop and how businesses be both profit driven and socially conscientious.  Datin Mina also discusses The Body Shop's recent rebranding efforts, tagged 'Beauty With Heart', and how the brand has managed to sta...

Sunway Medical Centre CEO Lau Beng Long discusses: - Profit turnaround; - Drivers to the Malaysian healthcare sector; - Whether size and scale matter - IHH - Apollo - etc - versus Sunway: sole hospital; - Reports of poor quality of medical graduates - issues; - Doctors as freelancers: whether this is problematic; - Costs - salaries - rising wage inflation - extent affecting P&L; - Management of do...

BFM turns Four! And to celebrate our anniversary, David Chew, Khoo Hsu Chuang and Melisa Idris 'grille' the founder and managing director of BFM, Malek Ali. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IHH Healthcare Berhad MD Dr. Lim Cheok Peng discusses: IPO: - Cornerstone investors - bought 58 per cent of your IPO - merits to their financial stability and prestige - sheer number - 22 - a record - Why so many; - Lockup period - issues; - Minuscule allocation for retail portion - criticism - issues; BUSINESS: - Scale - merits - demerits; - And at an issue price of 2.80 ringgit, IHH debuted at a...

Khazanah Nasional and Iskandar Investment provided the initial investment of RM720 million for Legoland to position Johor as an amusement park destination. Does the economics make sense for Malaysia? Siegfried Boerst, the General Manager is interviewed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preeminent architect and urban planner Dato' Sri Lim Chong Keat, the youngest brother of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, recollects the former Penang Chief Minister's early and formative days of Penang politics in the 1950s and 1960s. The younger Lim also recollects Tun Lim's exit from the MCA and subsequent and primary role in forming Gerakan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawyer, Tan Poh Lai, talks about her father Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon who despite growing up in abject poverty and not having the use of one eye became a famous doctor and leading opposition figure in the 1950s to 1970s. He was head of the now defunct Labour Party, and co-founded Gerakan, and was one of the founders of Universiti Malaya. His involvement in the opposition victory parade in Selangor...