The Breakfast Grille

Invest Selangor is the one-stop agency for international investors keen to put their money into the state. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, how have they fared with the Covid-19 pandemic being one of the most challenging time for it? Dato’ Hasan Azhari Idris, Invest Selangor's CEO, takes us through the agency's plan to navigate the future as competition heats up not just with other stat...

Steel Hawk Bhd is the first company to undergo a listing transfer from Bursa Malaysia’s LEAP to the ACE Market under the new market transfer framework. Shares of this oil and gas services firm doubled on their ACE market trading debut. We speak to Dato' Sharman Kristy Michael, Founder & Executive Director, Steel Hawk Berhad for their growth strategy, the use of the IPO proceeds and whether is...

Music consumption today has long shifted from the age of physical music media like vinyl, CDs and cassettes, and so too has the discovery of new talent from songwriting to performing. Kenny Ong, the managing director of Sony Music Entertainment for Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Special Projects Southeast Asia shares his insights into how the music recording industry has evolved and how the (pos...

Malaysia’s telecommunications sector was reshaped when Celcom and Digi merged in December 2022 with dominance over 47% of the market. Almost two years down the line, have the promised synergies come to fruition and how is CelcomDigi staking its claim on the ever-evolving 5G landscape? We get updates from CelcomDigi CEO Datuk Idham Nawawi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Industrial parks are a sweet spot in the property space with the sudden deluge of data centres and logistic warehousing demand in Malaysia. But do we have world-class industrial parks in this country? We speak to Dylan Tan, Group CEO for AME Elite Consortium for their views, their strategy for growth and why their share price is underperforming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ace listed, MN Holdings Berhad, engaged in underground utilities and substation engineering services and solutions has seen their share prices soar by 70% on a year to date basis. We ask, Managing Director, Clement Toh what their strategies of growth are and is there more upside to their stock price. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is constitutionally a federation where there is a strong central government but yet the individuality of states are also maintained. Is that just idealism or is there conflict between state and federal governments and can it be resolved? Lee Chean Chung, PKR MP for Petaling Jaya and Dr. Afif Bahardin, Bersatu Dun of Taman Medan gives us their perspective. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Kulim, Kedah is the site of what will eventually become the world’s largest 200mm silicon carbide wafer fabrication owned by Infineon Technologies, the German semiconductor manufacturer. Why have they placed their bets on Kulim and Malaysia for their regional expansion, and how might the sector benefit from their presence? We speak to Ng Kok Tiong, Managing Director of Infineon Technologies Kulim...

Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said is the current minister in the PM's department in charge of law and institutional reform. On this Breakfast Grille, she reflects on her years in politics with the unique insight of having served under three different administrations - Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional & Pakatan Harapan - as well as why it is so difficult to pass the institutional reforms promi...

As we gear up to celebrate the 67th National Day tomorrow, we’re featuring a Malaysian brand that’s even older than our country at 139 years old - the pewter craftsmaker Royal Selangor. How are they keeping traditions alive in an era that prizes technological innovation? Executive Director Chen Tien Yue joins us on the Breakfast Grille to share Royal Selangor’s recipe for longevity. See omnystudio...

Malaysia is expected to transition to ageing nation status by 2030 where over 15% of its population will be above 60-years-old. Associate Professor Dr Rahimah Ibrahim, director at the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing) and Delren Douglas, the president of the Association of Aged Care Operators of Malaysia (AGECOPE), discuss the country's preparedness to face this reality. See omnyst...

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof recently revealed that there have been differing legal views between the federal and state levels, as Sarawak demands more rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 to be fulfilled. These demands were reportedly discussed at the highest council meeting last month. Bandar Kuching MP Dr. Kelvin Yii joins us to discuss Sarawak's interpretation of provisi...

Our neighbours, Thailand and Indonesia, are facing major political changes with a change in leadership. We discuss the dismissal of Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and whether his replacement can manage the factions with insights from Michael Montesano of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. After which we turn to Indonesia where we analyse Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s legacy and what to ex...

This Saturday, as we celebrate Merdeka, we speak to Tricia Yeoh, CEO of think tank, IDEAS, about the realities of coalition politics in Malaysia. We also discuss the significance of essential reforms, both institutional and economic and whether the pace of progress is sufficient. We will also explore if Malaysia is on the right path to becoming a nation that truly upholds liberty and justice for a...

On August 24th, Ukraine marks its Independence Day while continuing to defend against Russian aggression since Crimea's annexation in 2014 and the invasion in February 2022. We speak with Denys Mykhailiuk, Chargé d'Affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy in Malaysia, and examine Ukraine’s recent bold move into Russian territory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the war in Gaza is impacting millions of Palestinian lives. In a bid to alleviate the suffering, Malaysia has flown in 41 injured Palestinians and their families for medical treatment, a move that has seen mixed reactions. We speak to H.E. Walid Abu Ali, the Ambassador of Palestine to Malaysia for more clarity on the mission and his assessment of Malaysi...

Earlier this month, a mass protest movement led by the youth of Bangladesh ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling party the Awami League after 15 years in power. What are the hopes of and challenges for the nation of a 170 million people following a tumultuous summer? We discuss the future of Bangladesh with its High Commissioner to Malaysia, H.E. Md. Shameem Ahsan. See omnystudio.com/...

Studies have found that Malaysia ranked fifth for countries with the most dangerous roads, and third for countries where you are most likely to die on the road. With these figures, we speak to Dr. Rizati Binti Hamidun, Director of Road Safety Engineering and Environmental Research Centre from MIROS and Dato' Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, Vice Chancellor, UPM and former DG at MIROS about...

Sabah is renowned for its natural heritage but also faces the paradox of plenty: despite being resource-rich, it has consistently lagged in economic development. What is Invest Sabah doing to change the investment narrative? We discuss the priorities and opportunities to bring in investment to Sabah with CEO Dr. Firdausi Suffian. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), established by the Construction Industry Development Act (Act 520), works to improve the construction industry's standards and capabilities. CEO Dato' Sr Mohd Zaid Zakaria addresses the sector’s current challenges, emerging opportunities, and future directions as well as helping us unpack who are the winners and losers in the recent construction...

Kyndryl, the world's largest IT infrastructure player also had the title of world's largest start up after their separation from IBM in 2021. We speak to Effendi Azmi Hashim, Managing Director of its Malaysian and Indonesian operation about being agonistic when it comes to partners, their strategy for growth and how they intend to benefit from the secular trends of AI and Data Centres. Image Credi...

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim took office on 24 November 2022 on a platform of sweeping reforms to strengthen Malaysia’s institutions. 20 months later, his unity government has been described as “the most dictatorial that the country has ever had”, according to prominent lawyer Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan. What prompted this drastic change in sentiment towards the reformist government and is...

It has been 26 years since the first LRT in Kuala Lumpur began its services, transforming how citizens of the city get around. Today there are nearly 140 kilometres of trains, served by the monorail, LRT and MRT lines, supplemented by a bus service under one agency, Prasarana Malaysia. Dato’ Ridza Abdoh Salleh, the former CEO of Prasarana and Afiq Daniel, a public transport activist give us an ass...

The Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia was set up in 1983 as an autonomous non-profit research organisation functioning as the nation’s think tank. What role does this body play in influencing the policy decisions of the Madani Government? We discuss Malaysian foreign policy with Datuk Prof. Dr. Mohd Faiz Abdullah, Chairman and Chief Executive of ISIS Malaysia. See o...

Established in 1969, Agrobank, a DFI is crucial to Malaysia's agricultural development, offering specialised financial services tailored to the sector. CEO Dato' Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin tells us how the bank aligns with the Ministry of Agriculture's initiatives and how they manage the challenges of being a DFI and managing higher NPLs compared to conventional banks. Image Credit: shutt...