The Breakfast Grille

James McCormack, Global Head of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings, addresses the possibility of sovereign debt default risks due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, given the globalised nature of the modern economy. He also addresses the shifting nature of global currencies, including the US Dollar's status as a global reserve currency. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The cabinet has delayed the Anti Hopping Law but is this critical for a democracy like Malaysia? Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, Former Deputy Speaker of Dewan Rakyat and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for Law and Human Rights, tells us why whilst diving into the MOU between the government and the opposition. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Backed by Navis Capital, Aurelius Healthcare has recently acquired Nilai Medical Center and renamed it as Aurelius Hospital Nilai. But what are their plans for the group post acquisition? Dato’ Amir Firdaus Abdullah, Group MD, Aurelius Healthcare shares key insights with us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world continues to grapple with supply chain disruptions caused by the numerous factory or plant shutdowns occurring in parts of the world as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage on, how has our largest publicly listed port operator, Westports adapted to this issue? We speak to its group managing director, Datuk Ruben Gnanalingam on the Breakfast Grille for more. Image credit: Westports...

Professor Sarah Metcalfe, Interim Provost and CEO of University of Nottingham Malaysia, addresses the challenges of getting students back on campus, post-pandemic as well as life after its local partners YTL-Boustead's exit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The MRT3 Circle Line will have 31 stations, with 40km of elevated tracks and 11km of underground tunnels that stretch into a circular alignment along the perimeter of Kuala Lumpur. But with a cost of close to 40 billion ringgit, is this what Malaysia truly needs? Hamdan Abdul Majeed from Think City, and Aziff Azuddin from Citymapper shares their thoughts. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See om...

The tabling of an anti-hopping law during the first session of Parliament in 2022 was one of the key conditions of the MOU between the Federal Government and Pakatan Harapan. Now that the tabling of the bill has been postponed, how does this affect the historic but uneasy truce between two sides of the political divide? We discuss what's holding up progress on the anti-hopping bill and whether Mal...

The war in Ukraine continues into its 2nd month with no signs of peace. We speak to H. E. Olexander Nechytaylo, Ambassador of Ukraine to Malaysia for an update on the situation on the ground from the humanitarian crisis, to the war efforts and peace talks. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite the squeeze on student enrollment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, BAC Education Group has been investing in hybrid infrastructure to make the best of both in-person and online learning. We speak to Co-Founder and Managing Director Raja Singham on how BAC has pivoted to digital education and their plans to grow with an emphasis on impact over profit. Image credit: BAC See omnystudio.com/...

Carousell is one of the leading classified marketplaces that has attained unicorn status with more than USD1 billion valuation. We speak to Tang Siew Wai, the Malaysian Country Manager, to find out their strategy for growth in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After two years of stringent borders control, Malaysia will soon be reopening its borders once again and many in the aviation sector welcome this with both arms. Mohammad Al Attar, Country Manager of Emirates Malaysia shares with us on how they maneuvered the pandemic and their plans moving forward with the reopening of borders. Image credit: Emirates See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Dr. Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, offers a state of play for the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the choices ASEAN might soon have to make if the conflict widens. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for four years straight in the World Happiness Report. What accounts for the high levels of contentment among Finns? We discuss the factors that have contributed to strong institutional safety nets and public trust in Finland with H.E. Sami Leino, Ambassador of Finland to Malaysia.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the country experiencing an unprecedented level of flooding, we ask Cha-Ly Koh from Urbanmetry and YB Charles Santiago, MP for Klang as to the solutions required to better respond, mitigate and adapt to natural disasters triggered by climate change. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia's largest integrated media company, Media Prima, reported stellar 2021 earnings, marking a return to profit since 2015. Under the helm of newly appointed managing director, Rafiq Razali, how is Media Prima positioning itself amid changes in the industry, especially its broadcasting and publishing segments? We discuss his vision for the company moving forward. Image credit: Media Prim...

Fresh off the Johor state elections, we unpack the results and drama that ensued to understand what it means for politics on a federal level. Is this a bellwether for the 15th General Elections? What were the surprises and what were the letdowns? Political analysts Dr. Azmi Hassan and Dr. Oh Ei Sun share their views and analysis on a special Breakfast Grille panel. Image credit: Shutterstock.com S...

When it comes to wages, many of us can agree that it should be increased. But the question that provokes intense debate is when and how? Should market forces dictate the quantum of our living, graduate and minimum wage? Or should government policy get into it to set direction? Philip see consults experts Carmelo Ferlito of CME and Zouhair Rosli of DM Analytics on how much you should get paid.&nbsp...

The past few years have been booming for semiconductor players. Automotive LED supplier D&O Green Technologies Bhd’s managing director, Tay Kheng Chiong, is on the Breakfast Grille to talk about supply chain disruptions from the pandemic, how the shift to EVs will impact them, and how ESG trends will impact them.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two years into the pandemic and hardly any flights happening, how does a general insurance player tied to an airline like Tune Protect grow and maintain its presence? Rohit Nambiar, Group CEO of Tune Protect tells us their strategy for growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On International Women’s Day 2022, we speak to a pioneer that championed the environment, social causes and women's issues: listed company InNature which manages the Body Shop in Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Datin Mina Cheah-Foong, Founder and Managing Director tells us if this company has successful evolved despite the intense competition and the new challenges of rising cost of doing business...

Prudent, measured growth has been key to managing Covid's retail fallout but having raised Series C funding, it's now all systems go for regional and international expansion. Dione Song, CEO of women-focused Singaporean fashion retailer Love, Bonito. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eddie Wong, Managing Director of KVC Industrial Supplies and Country MD of Sonepar Malaysia shares with us how this one stop shop for commercial and industrial properties plans to improve its margins and expand beyond distribution in view of fast changing mega trends following the pandemic. Image Credit: KVC MY See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is home to one of the most biodiverse ecological environments, widely recognized for the richness of flora and fauna species with whom we share the land. In recognition of the value of our natural heritage, the government has reaffirmed a pledge to maintain 50% forest cover as part of efforts to conserve the environment - but how genuine is our commitment to preserve the forest? On World...

Thanks to the success of its Civic sedan and HR-V and BR-V SUVs, Honda is the top non-national make in Malaysia, but longer-term challenges centre on Honda's investment into EVs where the lack of a national framework befuddles manufacturers. Madoka Chujo, CEO, Honda Malaysia, discusses. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a crowded field of 16 Islamic Banks, how does one of the smallest standalone banks make waves? Arsalaan Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia tell us their strategy for growth via digital banking and are they open to an M&A? Image Credit: Al Rajhi Bank Malaysia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.