The Breakfast Grille

In 2023, the Unity Government hit the ground running to set out their policy agenda amid preparations for the state elections before August. We recount conversations with Cabinet ministers this year, as well as what the outcome of the six state elections revealed about public acceptance of the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional alliance. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Malaysia and Japan relations have been on an upswing in the last months of 2023, with back-to-back high-level visits between the Prime Ministers of the two countries. What’s the impetus for renewed attention on bilateral relations? We get updates from H.E. Takahashi Katsuhiko, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia on the opportunities being explored between the partners. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Australia has released a new blueprint entitled "Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040” that envisions nearly trebling bilateral trade with Southeast Asia to A$534 billion by 2040. This is as concerns over its over-dependence on China begin to take centrestage. Keith Kam is discussing all this with Nicholas Moore, Australia's special envoy to Southeast Asia who is also the...

Among South Asian countries, Pakistan is Malaysia's third largest trading partner, export destination and import source, with the total trade registered last year between the two countries at US$1.8 billion. We discuss the history of our bilateral relations, and the latest developments in the global geopolitical scenes with H.E Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, Pakistan's High Commissioner to Malaysia. See om...

ICT Zone Asia Berhad is a LEAP market-listed company that rents, leases, and trades ICT solutions to private corporations. They make it affordable for companies to computerise their operations. CEO Tommy Lim shares with us who are their main clients, the outlook for the industry, and efforts to migrate to the ACE market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bersih has been an instrumental platform in galvanising the civil society and the public to rally for electoral reform. We reflect on the past 5 years of Bersih post GE-14 with former Chair, Thomas Fann who resigned in November despite being re-elected to the role. Why did he step down and what does he make of the reform agenda of the Madani government? We discuss this and more with Thomas Fann.&n...

International commerce is growing rapidly and many businesses require fast, simple and secure payment services. Singapore based remittance company NIUM solves this issue by providing real time payment transfers in the B2B space. Anwar Mahbob speaks with Anupam Pahuja, its Executive Vice President and General Manager of APAC, Middle East and Africa as the company faces razor-thin margins, tighter r...

The World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, was set up in 2005 to build bridges through business between Muslim and non-Muslim communities throughout the world. However, given the 7 year hiatus since the last conference, does this platform still have standing among international business circles? Ahead of the 14th WIEF in Abu Dhabi, UAE in February 2024, we ask Tan...

We are now quite familiar with Sam Bankman-Fried being convicted last month on federal criminal charges for wire fraud and money laundering. What is mind-boggling is how FTX's multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency empire could implode overnight and tragically leave thousands of customers in financial distress - maybe a Netflix series in the making. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff, the Wall Stree...

The Crown Prince and Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah has made environmental conservation and climate change the focus of his advocacy. How are these issues being mainstreamed in Pahang? We sit down with the state regent at the Malaysia Pavilion on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Malaysia is still not a signatory to the UN’s 1951 refugee convention or the 1967 protocol. This means the 183,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country are effectively considered undocumented migrants with no access to public healthcare and education as well as having no right to work. Dr Melati Nungsari, an Associate Professor of Economics at the Asia School of Business takes stock of the c...

In conjunction with International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9th, it is timely to have a review of the Madani government agenda in combating corruption. We critically survey the current government’s performance in deterring corruption, the extent of Malaysia’s law enforcement on anti-corruption, and areas needing improvement with Dr Muhammad Mohan, President, Transparency International Malays...

UEM Edgenta achieved record revenues in 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic levels; but the performance for the first 9 months of 2023 has been less encouraging. How is Edgenta leveraging on the sustainability theme to propel future growth? We discuss the prospects of the company with CEO Syahrunizam Samsuddin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BPAM is Malaysia's sole bond pricing agency and is tasked with price discovery of what is often an opaque market as fixed income is not traded on an exchange. We speak to their CEO, Meor Amri Meor Ayob if their methodology is objective and fair, what is their strategy for growth and the outlook for the bond market in 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bioengineering solutions company Fibromat Berhad hopped onto the LEAP Market in 2019, raising RM6.2 million ringgit in its IPO. With green infrastructure and ESG now in vogue, how is the erosion control provider looking to leverage on the demand for sustainable services? We discuss the company's potential and prospects with Danny Ng, CEO of Fibromat Berhad. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

This year commemorates 150 years since Levi Strauss & Co introduced the world to the iconic 501 jeans. But what is this apparels company's staying power and how does it navigate today's realities that includes, sustainability and social issues? Imran Butt, Levi's country manager for Malaysia & Singapore takes us through how a pair of jeans remaining largely unchanged for a century and a ha...

Humanitarian aid for Palestinians under "Ops Ihsan" was transported via a special cargo plane through El-Arish Airport in Egypt on November 10th. The Egyptian Ambassador to Malaysia, H.E. Ragai Tawfik Said Nasr, will discuss the intricacies and difficulties involved in the supply of these aids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self-service laundry outlets have mushroomed in urban areas, providing users a convenient option to wash clothes regardless of the weather. City Coin Group, which owns the LaundryBar franchise of laundromats, is presently the biggest chain in the country, with over 400 outlets and counting. We discuss the business model and growth prospects, as well as plans for a future IPO with the Group Managin...

Negotiations over the concession agreement for Westport 2 should be finalised soon. We ask Datuk Ruben Gnanalingam, Executive Chairman and Group Managing Director of Westport Holdings, how much of a game changer this will be for the company and how they intend to stand competitive compared to the regional ports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Volkswagen AG have their work cut out for them marketing VWs, Audis and Porsches as affordable premium, premium and luxury cars respectively in Malaysia. This comes amid intensifying competition, declining purchasing power and a rapidly advancing EV industry. Denyu Bostandzhiev is the new MD for Porsche Holding Salzburg (PHS) Automotive Malaysia and Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia - he talks ab...

Atlas Copco, a Swedish provider of industrial tools and assembly solutions has been in Malaysia for more than 4 decades. Khalid Shaikh shares with us how operations have transformed, and how they aim to drive energy efficiency practices in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 10th Prime Minister Dato' Sri Anwar Ibrahim, also known as PMX, cobbled a motley coalition under the Madani banner and against the odds survived to reach the first anniversary. But can the unity government hold until the next general election amid an increasingly dissatisfied electorate? We take stock of Malaysia’s political landscape with our panel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Is capitalism failing humanity? On the contrary, Johan Norberg, author of The Capitalist Manifesto argues that it is the recipe to a more sustainable and prosperous future. We discuss the varying attitudes towards capitalism, including from the political lens of right and left, as well as the generational perceptions at play, and why he thinks capitalism is the antidote for climate change. Se...

This week marks 1 year since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim became Prime Minister. Have the economic policies passed muster and is it easier for businesses? Nordin Abdullah, Vice Chairman, Malaysia Australian Business Council (MABC) and Firdaos Rosli, Chief Economist, Bank Islam joins us to discuss this, what are the missed opportunities and what should be on their checklist next. See omn...

Animonsta Studios is the birthplace of BoBoiBoy and Mechamato, a series of movies that has netted the company more than RM86 million at the box office. Add to that, several TV series seasons featuring the same characters that is now broadcast in over 50 countries. Nizam Razak, the co-founder and CEO of Animonsta, talks to us about the long-term plans for the studio going beyond creating content. S...