The Breakfast Grille

Honda Malaysia has maintained is number one position in the non-national car segment but is their pole position at risk of being lost? We ask Sarly Adle Sarkum, President and Chief Operating Officer of Honda Malaysia what is their strategy to stay ahead of the competition and what does it take for Malaysia to be the Asean auto hub. Image Credit: Hafiez Razali / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/...

The Perikatan Nasional govt's unprecedented ouster in July of the Speaker of the House of Representatives - the Dewan Rakyat - took Malaysia and the world by surprise. Six weeks after the act, Tan Sri Mohammad Ariff Md Yusof, who presided over the House's debates, determining which members may speak and which amendments are selected for consideration, finally took some time to share his thoughts a...

Ng Sang Beng, the CEO of semiconductor testing firm Aemulus Holdings, outlines his strategy to flatten his earnings curve by entering a new global market for CMOS sensors via a freshly inked China JV. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ami Moris, the CEO of Maybank Kim Eng (MKE) discusses why and how the investment bank could continue to thrive in the long-term if larger Chinese banks encroach into its Asean market, and if fintech companies have greater millennial wallet- and mind-share and more superior technology. She also weighs in on Malaysia's recovery and growth outlook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having recently transferred to a different ministry that will see its focus more centred on technology, while keeping a finger on the pulse of social entrepreneurship, we speak to Dzuleira Abu Bakar of MaGIC to discuss how startups have been affected by Covid-19. We also discuss her plans moving forward and the future of the startup scene in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

As Malaysia turns 63 years old, much progress has been made on the economics front with the country attaining middle income status. But has enough progress been made and does this post Covid 19 era actually provide an opportunity for a re-set and the introduction of new policies to correct the structural issues that we face. We speak to Lau Zheng Zhou, Research Manager in the Economics and Busines...

As Malaysia turns 63 years old, we take the time to reflect about the state of racial unity. Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi ,Tunku Abdul Rahman Professor of Constitutional Law at University of Malaya and Eddin Khoo, author, frequent commentator on social- cultural issues and founder of Pusaka weigh in on the conversation. They also remind us that we already as a nation have the tools for racial unity...

China based, NYSE listed Best Inc has recently moved into the Southeast Asian region. Considering the buzz around ecommerce growth over the last few months and the growth potential in Southeast Asia, should you add Best Inc to you watchlist? Roshan Kanesan also speaks to Johnny Chou about Best's expansion, managing the impact of COVID-19, and their financial outlook for the year. See omnystudio.co...

In Southeast Asia, e-commerce adoption is still relatively low. Gunjan Soni, the CEO of Zalora discusses plans to convert more customers, shape fashion trends and introduce new technologies such as augmented reality See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Video Streaming services saw a boost during the height of the pandemic in Southeast Asia, and streaming player Viu wants a bite of that pie. Backed by the Hong Kong based conglomerate PCCW Group, Viu has grown into a major OTT player, but in this competitive streaming landscape, does it have what it takes to compete for a share of your wallet? To find out, Roshan Kanesan speaks with Kingsley Warne...

The rise of Bitcoin, and the talk around Libra - Facebook’s fiat-backed stablecoin - have woken up central bankers to the disruptive potential of digital currencies, and its implications to the financial system as we know it. Roshan Kanesan speaks with Antonio Fatas, Professor of Economics at INSEAD, for his thoughts on the future of money, the role of central banks, dependence on the US Dol...

Dr Paola Subacchi, economist and author of her new book "The Cost Of Free Money:  How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future" discusses the possibility of another global financial crisis if the Federal Reserve does not start co-ordinating its policies with other central banks, and if the US continues on its path of not providing any leadership in multi-lateral co-operation...

Dr Paola Subacchi, economist and author of her new book "The Cost Of Free Money:  How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future" discusses the possibility of another global financial crisis if the Federal Reserve does not start co-ordinating its policies with other central banks, and if the US continues on its path of not providing any leadership in multi-lateral co-operation...

Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli is the new CEO of InvestKL, ascending to the role in an unprecedented era of Covid distress and regional competition. How will KL fare in this beauty contest? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the US counts down to its November presidential elections, we take stock of President Trump’s foreign policy direction and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic with US Ambassador Kamala Lakhdir. What is the US’ end game in its increasingly antagonistic relations with China? How committed is the Trump administration to global cooperation in dealing with the ongoing health and econom...

Melvin Ooi left as Head of Alipay in Singapore to join BonusLink Card last year as CEO. We discuss how he's repositioning the company, a pioneer in loyalty rewards, to make it relevant among millennials and whether there are plans to become part of a digital bank license application and its likely partners, or whether it plans to dispose its business, merge with or take up stakes in E-wallets. See...

Thomas Knudsen, CEO of Toll Group, the Australian-based logistics firm owned by Japan Post, has been hired to turn around a business that was already ravaged by losses, high debts and cybercrime before Covid-19. Here is his situation report as to the status of the business currently. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent government stimulus packages have thrown a lifeline to a car industry hit hard by the implementation of the Movement Control Order in March. While Total Industry Volumes seem to have recovered since the disastrous 141 total vehilce units sold in April, it's still a long road ahead for many automotive players. So to help us get a sense of what's in store for Bermaz Auto in particular, we spe...

Education Malaysia Global Services is a one stop shop created by the government to accelerate the goal of 250,000 foreign students by 2025. But with Covid 19 and no new student visas being issued, is that target realistic? Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, the newly appointed CEO tells us how he intends to overcome the challenges, his plans for promoting Malaysia as an education center and why was he appoin...

DBE Gurney is now Lagenda Properties, and the firm has moved from poultry being its primary business to property. Roshan speaks to Dato’ Doh Jee Ming about the story and the rationale behind this, as well as their outlook for the year, optimism around affordable housing, and injection of assets into the business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global usage of semiconductors is set to increase with increased automation and the onset of the internet of things. But with Covid 19, global supply chains have been disrupted while work was curtailed. So we speak to Chew Ne Weng, Managing Director of QES Group a testing company to find out if despite the challenges there will be growth especially after the weak 2019 earnings. See omnystudio.com/...

Sabah is in the limelight in a big way. Its state assembly has been dissolved- a move disputed by opposition politicians- even while it remains among the most impoverished and hardest-hit by Covid-19. Add its proximity to the South China Sea, a key beachhead for the mounting US-China standoff, and the possibility that its (caretaker) chief minister could be the next Prime Minister, and the plot re...

From Star journalist to financial analyst to fund manager, Dato' Seri Cheah Cheng Hye’s career has led him all the way from the Asian Wall Street Journal to co-founding what is now an asset management company with $12 billion in assets under management. We speak to him about how his company, Value Partners, is positioning itself in the wake of a pandemic, and what growth opportunities he see...

The young may be an important part of the country's future, but jobs, housing and social mobility data shows that Malaysia is doing little for its young, potentially harming its prospects. Listen in as UMNO Deputy Youth chief Shahril Hamdan and Tharma Pillai, Co-Founder, Undi18, discuss how and why this happened and more. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

With 25 years of experience in specialist eye care services, Optimax Holdings is now planning to list on the ACE Market, in a bid to raise RM21 million to fund their expansion. We speak to Sandy Tan, CEO of Optimax Holdings, to find out more about their expansion drive, as well as to talk about the choice to list at this point in their corporate life, and how they plan to deal with competition wit...