The Breakfast Grille

With a national debt of above RM 1 trillion and ever ballooning subsidy bill, Malaysia is in a tight fiscal position. We speak to Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican, Deputy Secretary General for Policy of the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance to find out what the priorities of this government are that strikes the right balance between pro-growth policies whilst ensuring fiscal consolidation. See omnyst...

Rising feedstock and energy cost has impacted the UK egg industry with many farmers on the verge of shutting down. What are the solutions to ensure that one of the cheapest sources of protein is available for all? Mark Williams, CEO and Secretary from British Egg Industry Council, share his thoughts whilst reminding us that there are many similarities with the Malaysian egg industry. See omnystudi...

Fandbee began life as Lee's Frozen Foods in 1972 at a small retail shop in Kampung Attap, KL. Today, 60 years and 3 generations later, it continues the business in Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Fandbee's Managing Director, Gareth Tan, shares how the company managed to weather at least 4 global recessions, the Asian Financial Crisis and pandemics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Singapore-based company Kaer is pioneering Cooling as a Service (CaaS) to the ASEAN market and recently announced a 15-year contract with The Exchange TRX for RM150 million. We speak to Kaer CEO Justin Taylor on the business proposition of CaaS and how it plans to leverage on the global push towards decarbonisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UMediC Group Berhad is involved in the distribution of various branded medical devices and medical consumables and also in developing, manufacturing, and marketing of its medical consumables. The group will be listed on the ACE Market on 26th July 2022 and targets to raise around 31 million ringgit. CEO of the group, Lim Taw Seong shares with us the outlook and demand for healthcare products and t...

Venture Capital is common as a source of funding for start up's but its usually equity rather than debt. We speak to Dato' Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad, Chairman of Iris Capital Partners as to the advantages and disadvantages of using debt whilst delving into what sectors they are focusing in. We also ask about his views on the Malaysian economy and why our capital markets are so anemic. See omnystud...

Unique Fire Holdings, a family-run business, has been in the fire protection system business since 1975. It is now set to list on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market on August 5th to raise RM21.8 million to set it on its next growth path. Its Executive Director, Ryan Liew, talks about UFH's journey navigating the challenges of the business amid rising costs and slowing demand, while remaining confident th...

Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, Silverlake Axis provides software solutions and services to the Banking, Insurance, Retail, and government. Andrew Tan, the group managing director of Silverlake Axis shares with us the financial performance and the impact of the 5 new digital banking license in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest unemployment figure for Malaysian youth aged 15 - 24 years old stood at 12.5%, far higher than the national unemployment rate of 3.9%. Are we doing enough to ensure that youths are equipped with skills and opportunities to navigate a changing economic landscape? We discuss trends in youth employment with our panel on World Youth Skills Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

After 25 years of the MSC Malaysia programme to attract digital and technology investment, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is revamping the flagship scheme into Malaysia Digital and introducing new catalytic initiatives to bring in new investors. We sit down with MDEC CEO Mahadhir Aziz to discuss these plans and whether Malaysia can rival regional peers in attracting foreign invest...

Founded in 1988, Dilmah Tea has grown from a household name in Sri Lanka to an international icon of Ceylonese tea available in over 100 countries. But now as Sri Lanka's economy crashes and global supply chains issues continue to plague the world, how will Dilmah continue its operations? And what role can it play in rebuilding Sri Lanka's economy moving forward? We speak to CEO Dilhan Fernando to...

As part of our bi-annual series on where equity markets are heading, we speak to Anand Pathmakanthan, Head of Regional Equity Research, Maybank Investment Banking Group and Patrick Chang, Chief Investment Officer for ASEAN Equities, Principal Asset Management. We ask if China is ironically the safe haven markets and are there still gems to be found on Bursa Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

We speak to Florence Tan, SSCG Small Spacecraft Coordination Group Chair and Deputy Chief Technologist at NASA on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's science mission directorate on space exploration and how her early years at Muar keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, and climate change impact are all contributing to the rising cost of food, which in turn has rocketed food security to the top of national concerns. How is the ASEAN region impacted by disruptions to the global food supply chain, and is there a way to future-proof ourselves against similar shocks moving forward? We discuss this with Dr. Paul Teng, Pr...

After two long years, international borders have finally reopened. But what is the pace of recovery for travel companies and has the nature of travel changed forever in a post covid world. We speak to Dato' Sri Koh Yock Heng. Co-Founder & Group Managing Director of Apple Vacations on their future plans after two years of almost zero revenue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two years of losses due the pandemic, has listed auto parts company, MCE Holdings, turned the corner? Or will the near headwinds of rising material costs, supply chain disruptions and the end of the Sales and Service Tax chip away at margins. Questions we pose to Dr Goh Kar Chun, Group Managing Director, MCE Holdings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plus Solar Systems, the renewable energy company recently rebranded itself to be known as Plus Xnergy Holding as part of its pivot to restructure and optimize its business. Group CEO Ko Chuan Zhen takes the hot seat to talk about their restructuring, the recent JV with Yinson Holdings as well as future expansion plans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Half a year after the economy's reopening after a lost two-year period due to Covid-19, Datuk William Ng, Chairman of Small and Medium Enterprises Association SAMENTA and Jeremy Lim, Vice President of Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro, discuss the economic state of their respective members and what more needs to be done to repair the scar tissue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Despite moves since 2020 to diversify its market- and client reach that's led to a return to profit amidst globally buoyant energy prices, oil services firm Icon Offshore Bhd continues to see little interest in its stock. Managing Director Datuk Seri Hadian Hashim addresses these company specific issues among other larger macro-economic and geopolitical reasons behind his company's and industry's...

A whirlwind tour of Asia and the Pacific Islands is indicative of the shift in Australia's foreign policy after the election of the new labour government. But what is the key agenda and is the priority to counter China's growing dominance in the region. We speak to Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs to find out whilst delving into the role of strategic partnerships like the Quad. See omnystu...

Dr Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, offers an update on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and a wider reading of its implications on the Asia-Pacific region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Malaysians have a nostalgic attachment to A&W, which first set up a presence here in the 1960s.  But with rapidly changing consumer tastes and global supply chain shocks affecting the F&B industry, how does A&W plan to stay relevant to the next generation and beyond?  Philip See will be speaking to its global CEO Kevin Bazner about his growth strategy for the franchise i...

With inflation upon Malaysia and wallets still tight, the govt is spending on aid packages and other election-friendly goodies, all of which come at a cost -- explaining a growing drumbeat advocating a return of GST. Dr. Veerinderjeet Singh, the Immediate Past President of Malaysian Institute of Accountants & YB Ong Kian Ming, Former MITI Deputy Minister, discuss the pros, cons, permutations a...

Earlier this month, the government decided to abolish the PT3 examinations in favour of school based assessments to determine students’ performance in their studies.  But how will this sudden abolishment in the middle of the school year impact school operations? Are teachers ready to rejig their syllabus to accommodate school based assessments?  In a special Breakfast Grille panel, we di...

Indonesian online travel start-up Traveloka has grown over the past decade into a USD$3 billion unicorn with presences across Southeast Asia and Australia. With the regional travel and tourism industry slow to pick up in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Traveloka has been biding its time by strengthening its evolution into a travel superapp. How does the Malaysian outfit fit into the broader gro...