The Breakfast Grille

Melaka-based property developer Yong Tai plans to distribute Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by Shenzhen Kangtai. Datuk Wira Boo Kuang Loon, the CEO, discusses the credibility of the little-known China-made vaccine, the safety checks, how soon the vaccine could be made available nationwide, and its expected price. He also discusses the problems in maintaining Encore Melaka, a landmark that was buil...

Texas Chicken is one of the largest quick-service restaurant chains in the world specialising in one of the world’s most popular food items, fried chicken. But with a pandemic still raging on, how will it maintain its presence here in Malaysia, and can it adapt to changing consumer behaviours? To find out, we speak to Ong Yang Ming, Vice President of Business for APAC & Middle East at Te...

Datuk Seri FD Iskandar, Group Managing Director at Glomac, shares his outlook, plans to revive its largest asset Glo Damansara Mall, and the possibility of switching focus to industrial properties and to diversify like other developers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Dagang NeXchange's (DNeX) stock price rises, The Morning Run speaks to the IT and energy firm's Group Managing Director Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin to explore the group's growth plans, as well as their outlook for 2021 and beyond. Image Credit (background): whiteMocca / Shutterstock.com Image Credit (headshot): Dagang NeXchange Bhd See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why are jobs that require high academic qualifications prized over technical vocations, despite the latter being no less meaningful or important? Will the Covid-19 pandemic spur broader debate on the value of work, amid broader recognition of essential workers’ contribution to the economy? We discuss these themes with David Goodhart, author of the book “Head, Hand and Heart: The Strugg...

The global sum of government debt was around $78 trillion at end-2020 and is expected to reach $84 trillion by end-2021, approaching 100% of global GDP. James McCormack, Global Head of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch Ratings, tells us why we should start worrying and explains the rationale for the recent downgrade of Malaysia as well as what the government needs to address for an upgrade. Image Credit...

Sime Darby Oils is the downstream arm of Sime Darby Plantations, the world's largest palm oil plantation company by planted area. Last year on The Breakfast Grille, we talked about Sime Darby Oils’ ambitious plans to play a bigger part in contributing to the overall Group's bottom line, but a year later, has that been derailed by the pandemic and a ban from the US Customs and Border Protecti...

As we look ahead to Inauguration Day in the US, many now question what a Biden administration will look like, across the next four years. Will the US now look to resume the role of global leader that Trump vacated? We discuss the present and future of US foreign policy, and how this could impact the Southeast Asian region with Elina Noor, Director of Political-Security Affairs at the Asia Society...

Oil price volatility is set to continue in 2021, so how do oil and gas companies navigate the unstable market conditions, given that their fortunes are so correlated to the price of this commodity? Dato' Kamarul Redzuan Muhamed, Founder and Group CEO of oil and gas company Uzma, gives us his views while telling us his plans for growth after having achieved an order book of more than RM1.35bn to da...

Following a fiercely contested election and the harrowing protests at Capitol Hill this month, what will be the legacy of the Trump administration? We catch up with US Ambassador Kamala Lakhdir as she ends her tour in Malaysia for her thoughts on the future of American democracy, and Malaysia-US bilateral ties. Image Credit: US Embassy KL See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sets the record straight on why he resigned as PM during Langkah Sheraton when the Yang di-Pertuan Agong asked him not to and before a conclusive vote was carried out, and discusses why he believes in an all-Malay party rather than be pro-multiracial, Pejuang’s role as kingmaker in GE15, and his old score with Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. See omnyst...

Maybank is the market leader in Islamic banking by assets. Dato' Rafique Merican, CEO of Maybank Islamic, discusses the impact of the emergency on Malaysia, what it takes to grow Islamic deposits, the hurdles to clear to expand the Sukuk market, as well as views about fintech companies. Image Credit: SL Chen / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mah Sing Group is diversifying into the rubber gloves business and expects their first six production lines to be operational in the second quarter of 2021. But is Mah Sing too late to the game or will they be able to compete against the current incumbents like Top Glove and Supermax? Beyond that, as the property market recovers, what are Mah Sing's plans for future property development and launch...

2020 was a tale of two halves for the automotive industry. The first was tragic, but the second saw a boom in car sales on the back of pent up demand, low interest rates, and the SST exemption. Will this help loss-making MCE Holdings, a major supplier to Proton and Perodua, turn its financials around and achieve its first full year in the black since 2017? Roshan Kanesan speaks to MCE's Managing D...

The Malaysian equity market has been a winner in this post-Covid-19 era with record-high volumes due to a jump in retail trading, but how can this momentum be sustained whilst continuing to protect the market from errant participants? Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, CEO of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, tells us the growth path of the Exchange and the resolution of the inherent conflict of interest structure. S...

Bursa Malaysia ended 2020 as the best performing stock market within emerging markets in ASEAN, in large part due to the stellar profits of glove makers and healthcare players. But has the easy money been made, and what will outperform this year? We discuss the market outlook with a panel of experts: Teng Chee Wai, MD of Affin Hwang Asset Management, and Anand Pathmakanthan,  Head of Regional...

The Malaysian timber industry contributed 1.6% to GDP in 2019, accounting for RM22.5 billion in exports. With so many industries disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and with support growing for sustainability measures worldwide, how will the timber industry survive? We speak to newly minted CEO of the Malaysian Timber Council, Muhtar Suhaili. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

South Africa is in the midst of a second wave of Covid-19 infections, with positive cases surging recently past the 1 million mark. How is it acting to contain the pandemic and mitigate the economic fallout on its already slowing economy? And what are the prospects for deepening Malaysia - South Africa bilateral ties during these trying times? We discuss the state of play with South Afri...

Semiconductor player Mi Technovation is on a high-growth path, and its solutions can already support wafer sizes of 7nm and below, versus the current norm of 14nm. Would it still maintain its head office in Malaysia, or shift to China or Taiwan to be closer to its customers and access more engineering talent? And as companies like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon move into chip designing and as the US-...

At the start of a fresh year and with an eye on GE15, we look back on the political tumult that was 2020 and the lessons that can be drawn for a way forward with our panel of experts, Dr Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate at Nottingham University Malaysia, and Jahabar Saddiq, Editor-in-Chief of The Malaysian Insight. Image Credit: akids.photo.graphy / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/li...

The Covid-19 pandemic shocked economies, causing unemployment and poverty rates to soar. The IMF predicted global GDP would shrink by 4.4% this year. We revisit conversations with experts on the Breakfast Grille on policy responses to resuscitate the economy and support the most vulnerable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US-China trade war was overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic this year, but geopolitical tensions continue to manifest in other arenas. We revisit conversations on the Breakfast Grille discussing the power struggle between the US and China, the future of China as a regional superpower, and the vision for a post-Trump America. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Malaysia dealt with multiple crises this year - the pandemic and political upheaval. From the Sheraton Move to the Sabah elections, we revisit revealing conversations on the Breakfast Grille with political actors. Image Credit: adam yusof / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2020 will go down in history as the year the world was upended by Covid-19. We revisit conversations on the Breakfast Grille with industry leaders on how the pandemic has impacted their business, from the devastation wrought on the retail and hospitality sectors, to the windfall gains of glove makers and e-commerce players. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Although global supply chains were severely disrupted in the first half of the year due to the pandemic, the shipping industry has returned to an even keel and is poised to end the year on a high note amid booming demand for logistics services. But can the good times last for Malaysian shipping players? We discuss the state of the industry, and the outlook for 2021 with Ooi Lean Hin, Chairman of t...