The Breakfast Grille

Unlike Singapore, Malaysia has taken a conservative approach to the cryptocurrency industry, in retrospect a wise approach given the past week's turmoil. David Low, Asia-Pacific General Manager of Luno, discusses Malaysia's regulatory approach as well as his own platform's future plans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a sluggish property market, how challenging is it for a niche property company to grow fourfold? Datuk Seri Yap Ngan Choy, Executive Chairman and Group Managing Director of NCT Alliance Bhd which has that target, tells us whilst explaining the many related party transactions the company has done and why revitalizing abandoned projects can be very lucrative. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Concerns over independence of the judiciary have come to the forefront recently, with prominent lawyers calling for the Malaysian Bar to stage a march for justice. How serious is the threat against Malaysia’s judicial system? Karen Cheah, newly-minted President of the Malaysian Bar discusses these and other developments related to the legal profession. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

The battle for FDI in Covid-ravaged Southeast Asia has never been fiercer, with Kuala Lumpur also grappling with additional political and policy headwinds. Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli, CEO of InvestKL, offers a situation report. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe Day is the the anniversary of the Schuman declaration that is the foundation of political cooperation that was supposed to make war between European countries unthinkable. But with the war in Ukraine, what is the EU's response? H.E. Michalis Rokas, Ambassador of the European Union to Malaysia answers that question and also a channel check on our bilateral trade relations. See omnystudio.com...

Despite comprising roughly half of Malaysia's labour population, women make up a small fraction of seats on corporate boards and as heads of publicly listed companies. Has progress in gender representation in the corporate world stalled or even regressed? We discuss the present scenario and efforts to increase women's participation at the highest levels with our panel of experts. Image credit: Shu...

Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor, CEO of Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) shares his perspective on its catalytic role for green economic growth by driving climate change mitigation actions and mainstreaming the green economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two years of pandemic restrictions, this year's Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations are highly anticipated by Malaysians nationwide. But are cost pressures and supply chain disruptions crimping retail spending during this festive season? Ahead of festivities next week, we catch up with Datuk Wira Dr Ameer Ali Mydin, Managing Director of Mydin on his outlook for the retail industry amid a turbu...

South Africa is one of the leading economies on the African continent and seen as an influential middle-power in geopolitics. So its abstention on several UN General Assembly resolutions condemning the war in Ukraine is noteworthy. We ask H. E. Dave Malcomson, the South African High Commissioner to Malaysia on the country's position vis-a-vis Russia and Ukraine, as well as the opportunities to enh...

RHL Ventures, the venture capitalist company that was founded by 3 young founders of illustrious families in 2016, have ambitious plans to triple its assets in 5 years. Its Managing Partner, Raja Hamzah Abidin, tells us how they plan to achieve this goal and also on how the pandemic has impacted deal flows. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we are aware, it has been almost two months since Russia invaded Ukraine and despite strong condemnation by a majority of countries around the world, President Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of relenting. While thousands of lives continue to be upended and the global economic situation drags on, we speak to Poland's ambassador to Malaysia, H.E. Krzysztof Dębnicki to get his thoughts on...

Local dairy producer Farm Fresh Berhad debuted on the Main Market in March 2022 to much investor enthusiasm. But will economic cost pressures deflate the high? We catch up with Managing Director Loi Tuan Ee on his ambitious regional expansion strategy, plans to fortify domestic production and distribution as well as how his company is dealing with the fallout of rising commodities prices. Image cr...

As part of World Book and Copyright day, we speak to Chong Ton Sin, founder of Gerakbudaya, and Amir Muhammad, founder of Buku FIXI on the business of books. We also ask if there is a culture of reading in Malaysia, what are the challenges for independent publishers, and most importantly, content censorship in the book industry. Background image credit: Pixabay.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Ghana and Malaysia have more in common than you think, as we were both British colonies that gained independence in 1957 and we also share a similar population size. Ms. Ama Boahemaa Dwomoh, the Acting High Commissioner of Ghana talks to us about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and how the country is coping in the third year of the pandemic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Duopharma Biotech Berhad, the distributor of the Sinopharm vaccine, was one of the winners of the pandemic. But with a price cap set by the government, how will that impact the company? Leonard Ariff Bin Abdul Shatar, Group Managing Director, Duopharma Biotech Bhd answers those questions and their strategy for growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Central Global Berhad has been a pioneer in high temp tape manufacturing since 1972 and in recent years the company has also ventured into the construction sector. But how does the company juggle between the two business segments? Chew Hian Tat, Managing Director and also a new major shareholder of Central Global Berhad speaks to us about his plans to turn around the company and also on his strate...

In conjunction with World Art Day, we have a special panel discussion with Lim Wei Ling of Wei Ling Gallery, a contemporary art gallery located in KL and Irsyad Saidin of Pentas.io, Malaysia’s premier NFT marketplace to discuss the business of art. We get their thoughts on how the pandemic has impacted the industry and the future of art in Malaysia in a digital age. Image credit: Shutterstock.com...

Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer is a minnow in contrast to market giants Boeing and Airbus, especially in the Asia-Pacific. However, the planemaker has bold ambitions to grow its presence in the region, targeting over 3,000 aircraft deliveries here in the next 20 years. We discuss Embraer's growth strategy and structural changes in the travel sector with Raul Villaron, Vice President for...

Chong Wai Yen, Managing Director, Carrier Malaysia shares with us how Carrier, the original inventor of the air conditioning system, is planning to expand further into the Asia Pacific region and how it will navigate the challenges of air pollution, climate change and energy efficiency. Image credit: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CrowdStrike is a well-known name in the endpoint cybersecurity sector. As worldwide spending on security and risk management technology is expected to increase in the years ahead, we ask Jagdish Mahapatra, Asia Managing Director of CrowdStrike on what trends we can observe in Asia, how Malaysia fares in terms of implementing endpoint protection systems, and how the pandemic has driven interest in...

Already host to more than 150 thousand Ukrainian refugees, the Czech Republic has also become the first NATO member state to send tanks to Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Today on the Breakfast Grille, H. E. Milan Hupcej, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Malaysia, talks to Philip See about the Czech stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as the Malaysia-European Union Free Trade...

After two years devoid of international tourism, Malaysia fully reopened its borders this month to much fanfare. Has the pandemic provided an opportunity for Tourism Malaysia to reset and restart its promotional activities in a major way? We discuss the outlook and targets for Malaysian tourism this year with Dato' Hj. Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director General of Tourism Malaysia. See omnystudio.com...

With supply chain disruptions, labour shortages and high oil prices plaguing the world, how does it all impact the local automotive industry, specifically Bermaz Auto Berhad who distributes Mazda, Kia and Peugeot in Malaysia? Dato' Francis Lee, CEO of Bermaz Auto Berhad, shares his insights with us. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is expecting tourism to contribute as much as 12% towards GDP eventually but is this achievable and what is the roadmap? We speak to Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture to find out, and if it's time for a relook at the government framework which some say is too unwieldy. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Dato Mohammad Ariff Md Yusof is the author of ‘Parliament Unexpected’, a book in which he discusses his recollections of parliament, politics and pandemic in Malaysia. Today he discusses the troubles with parliament and parliamentarians and what needs to be addressed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.