The Breakfast Grille

With much focus on trains in Malaysia, we speak to  Milko Papazoff, ASEAN Representative of International Union of Railways, to know more about this mode of transport in particular the ECRL and HSR. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EquitiesTracker Holdings, an equity investment research platform and training provider, made its debut on the LEAP Market in March, after nearly 20 years in the investment research business. We speak to its new CEO Alvin Vong about the company's reasons for listing, their plans to modernise, as well as challenges in the investment training industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

We speak to  Maria Antikainen, Principal Scientist at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland,  to find out if the circular economy model is an ideal only for rich countries or if theres the possibility of implementing it in Malaysia as well.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though it houses some of the best football teams in the world, as a business, La Liga trails behind the English Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga. We speak to Oscar Mayo, International Director of La Liga, about his plans to maintain the Spanish football league's competitiveness as well as increase its visibility in the region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Palm oil is an issue increasingly politicised, with talk of possible trade wars with the EU and retaliatory bans dominating headlines. But how is palm oil viewed in France, which has spearheaded the call for a phasing out of palm oil in biofuels? For this, and answers to other questions, including if France is looking to ramp up investment in Malaysia, and his views on Malaysia's human rights agen...

Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has codified the foreign policy framework in the hopes that this helps with dealing with superpowers like China. In essence, this is a principled policy with an economic twist. He was coy about whether the US can have a counterbalancing influence in the region but believes that an area like the South China Sea should be open and free...

Ali Salman, CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), and Ahmad Yazid Othman, CEO of Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Melayu (MTEM), discuss Pakatan Harapan's first year in government from the perspectives of their roles in a libertarian think tank and the Malay economic action Council. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this saturated private health care market, we speak to Wan Nadiah, CEO of Thomson Hospital, to see how they differentiate themselves from the competition whilst discussing ethics and legislation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the change in government, Malaysia scored higher on media freedom — but there’s still a long way to go. We speak to Steven about ways to institutionalise media freedom, including the Malaysiakini proposal for a media council. We also discuss ownership structure of media companies and transparency in journalism.   Also, do listen to our podcast exclusive where Steven take...

In conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, we speak to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Comission (MCMC) Chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak, about his career thus far, key projects including the roll out of 5G in the country, as well as MCMC's role in nationbuilding.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His Excellency Makio Miyagawa, the Ambassador of Japan, discusses his country's role in a region where China's ascendance has reached new heights. He also talks about geopolitical safety and developments in the region, Malaysia-Japan trade, foreign direct investments (FDI) and linkages as well as the state of an economy which has spent the better part of two decades in a state of economic stagflat...

As the food delivery scene becomes more competitive, we speak to Jakob Angele, APAC CEO, about Foodpanda's growth in the industry, response to stiff competition, and the direction of the company going forward. Listen in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederations that make up FIFA. It runs the AFC Asian Cup, the world’s second oldest continental championship. We speak to General Secretary, Dato’ Windsor John, to discuss their recent marketing deal with DDMC Fortis, and the challenges and opportunities that the Asian football body cur...

We speak to David Hashim about what architecture means in this stage of Malaysia's development and where the narratives are formed by projects such as the Penang Transport Masterplan, Thinkcity and the High-Speed Rail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We check in with a global company like Tata Consultancy Services where the customer satisfaction buck stops in the whole digitisation and automation bandwagon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Zainal Amanshah, CEO of InvestKL, talks about the challenge of attracting quality investments in the face of stiff regional competition, and the perceived instability of the country’s first new government in 61 years.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bjørn Taale Sandberg, Head of Telenor Research, addresses the opportunities and concerns surrounding new technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence in the context of health, privacy and governance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Design Thinking, is it just an empty buzzword or the next step in innovation and education? We ask Professor Weinberg about the state of the movement, the competition it faces from the big consultancies and its presence in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AmMetLife CEO, Ramzi Toubassy tells us his plans to join the ranks of Malaysia's insurance big league. We discuss the challenges of achieving the investment returns and the importance of the digital platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HWGG has big ambitions for seamless exchanges into and out of fiat currency, tokens and cryptocurrency. In short, they are attempting the seemingly impossible of getting around hurdles on crypto adoption. We also question whether governments will be able to keep up with technologies that will allow private citizens to escape such regulatory scrutiny. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

ISEC is a medical eye care services provider based and listed in Singapore with presence here in Malaysia. We speak to CEO Dr. Wong Jun Shyan on their expansion plans in the region as well as the state of ophthalmological care in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ekuinas, the government's Private Equity Fund, turns 10. We talk to the CEO, Syed Yasir Arafat, about the performance and its relevance in the age of Super PE funds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Rosaline Chow Koo, the CEO, about their ambitious plans to become the next unicorn as well as their impact on the insurance industry as a disruptor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Grille today, we chart IBM's reinvention whilst finding out how the internet of things is the 4th industrial revolution.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U Mobile is one of the four major mobile telco service providers in Malaysia. We speak to  CEO  Wong Heang Tuck about U Mobile’s network migration status, as well as their IPO plans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.