The Breakfast Grille

Since early October, oil prices have dropped from over USD $80 per barrel to less than USD $60.As the fortunes of Hibiscus Petroleum is closely tied to the price of oil, how big a concern is this for the company? We discuss this with Kenneth and look into what the company is doing to buffer itself from the volatility in oil prices. We also talk the business strategies and oil production targets. S...

Habib Jewel’s journey began in 1958, starting out as a small shop at Pitt Street Penang. From a small family business in Penang, Habib has now expanded to sell its products in Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, the United States, and Europe. But given fast-changing consumer taste and trends today, what is Habib doing to stay relevant? We talk to Meer about their business and diversification strat...

Lazada says that the 11.11 Singles' Day event was a success and they saw record sales, but just how big a sale was it for them? We ask Christophe this and he revealed that their 1 single day of sales surpassed their 1 year of sales in 2014. We also question Lazada's pathway to profitability. While Singles' Day did help boost up Lazada to record sales, the event also brought about a major flaw in i...

It's been a decade since the last global financial crisis. Now, faced with heightened debt levels fulled by global central banks, as well as the US-China trade war that's threatening the world economy, are we due for another major market crash? Dr. Xie, named among Bloomberg's "50 Most Influential Persons in Finance”, issues a grim warning for the year ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Ken explains the growth strategy for Malaysia's first robo-advisor, and addresses criticisms of such passive investment platforms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Holstein Milk Company produces dairy products under the Farm Fresh and Yarra brands, which are sold across Malaysia and Singapore. Managing Director Loi Tuan Ee shares how The Holstein Milk Company plans to increase milk yield from its breed of tropical dairy cows, and the social impact of the company's unique marketing approach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

The International Compliance Association (ICA) is a global, not-for-profit professional body that awards certifications and qualifications in anti-money laundering, governance, risk and compliance as well as financial crime prevention. We speak to its Regional Director Andrew Glover on the evolving standards of compliance, as well as lessons Malaysia can derive from major financial scandals. See o...

Thought leader Chandran Nair is a known speaker on the international circuit but curiously commands little recognition in his home country Malaysia. We get acquainted with Chandran on the Breakfast Grille and tap into his insights on good governance, sustainable development and environmental conservation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With over 250 stores nationwide, Subway has managed to build a following in the local fast food scene in the decade since its arrival to Malaysia. Master Franchisor Dato’ Vincent Choo shares Subway Malaysia's recipe for survival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even with a new name, geographical expansion, and business diversification, share prices for Federal International (formerly known as Federal Furniture) have lost about 70 percent of its value since the company's previous Breakfast Grille appearance in 2016. Datuk Choy shares the company's growth outlook, which will be more reliant on the construction sector despite the property oversupply in Mala...

This year's F1 campaign saw Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes winning their 5th consecutive double world titles, clinching every Drivers' and Constructors' Championship since 2014. With results getting more predictable, coupled with declining TV viewership, how can the sport's current owners, Liberty Media, attract new audiences? Mark shares his current assessment of the sport and discusses the economic...

Malaysia Smelting Corporation (MSC) has been in the tin industry for well over a century. We take a deep dive into the company's earnings and balance sheet trends with its CEO, Datuk Dr. Patrick Yong. We also ask what MSC is doing to re-energise the business. Datuk Patrick Yong says that while the company is currently sweating through a "healing period", he predicts a tin revival will soon bring i...

Dr Goh Kar Chun of local auto parts maker MCE Holdings talks about the history of his company and the roadmap of the Malaysian automotive industry. In the 90s, MCE was only manufacturing and supplying car alarms systems and power window regulators. Today, it supplies automotive electronic and mechatronic parts to Proton, Perodua, Honda and Toyota. What is MCE's role post the Geely acquisition? And...

Greg Brown, Group CEO of Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare, fields questions on the progress they have made since inking their JV in 2013 and the impact they have made on the Sime Darby Group’s profitability. He also discusses their still-small size and their plans to grow, as well as industry challenges. We delved into healthcare costs, low insurance penetration, the presence of value-sapping mi...

Sunway Education will be expanding into the international school market for primary years . Elizabeth revealed in the interview that the group is in the midst of building a primary school in the Klang Valley. Currently, its international school in the city only caters from Year 7 onwards. We also discuss Sunway Education's strategies in the midst of rising competition. We talk about the evolution...

Christopher Davison is the Group CEO and Co-Founder of BigPay: AirAsia's fintech platform which the group reckons might one day be bigger than the budget airline. The cashless payment system wants to disrupt conventional banking and democratise financial solutions to the masses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The F&B business - where KFC and Pizza Hut are parked under - is the jewel in the QSR Group. Hence why a bulk of the proceeds from the upcoming re-listing of QSR group would be used to further expand its F&B business. We talk to Merrill about the business division’s growth strategies with the impending IPO exercise in the pipeline for their parent company that could bring about RM2 b...

Finance Minister YB Lim Guan Eng spends a full hour fielding live questions on Malaysia’s fiscal position, Budget 2019, oil revenues and the measures it is instilling to ensure the country’s financial future. He also discusses Malaysia’s debt position, the introduction of new taxes, the inclusion of the private sector in growing the economy and recent measures like the Airport RE...

The renowned strategy and globalisation expert, Dr Anil Gupta who is the Michael D. Dingman Chair in Strategy, Globalisation and Entrepreneurship and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher at the Smith School of Business, The University of Maryland as well as a Visiting Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, discusses the growing influence of China in the region, the effects of globalisation and the rise of A.I....

Four months into the role, Deputy International Trade Minister YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming outlines the key priorities for his ministry, key of which is the message that Malaysia remains ready to do business with the rest of the world. And central to this are the negotiations on the trade pacts Malaysia is currently involved in, including with the RCEP and the CPTTP. He also discusses Industry 4.0, the N...

Deputy International Trade Minister YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming and Maybank Etiqa Chief Strategy Officer Chris Eng are on hand to talk about Budget 2019, focusing on the dominant role of oil revenue in funding the Budget, and the repercussions on Malaysia’s path to fiscal consolidation and the reaction among global ratings agencies to this development. The duo also discuss the Budget’s reacti...

We speak to Lavindran Sandragasu, Tax Partner at PwC and Dr. Richard Record, Lead Economist for Malaysia at the World Bank about what to expect from Budget 2019. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swiss whistleblower and former PetroSaudi International executive Xavier Justo gives us his take on the 1MDB story, and speaks to us about his involvement in the scandal as well as the struggles he faced as a consequence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suria Capital’s stock has been on a downtrend recently falling to its 8-year low of RM1.56 just in Sept 14 this year. The share price has been on a downward trend since December last year. What is the group doing about its stock’s underperformance? We ask Ng Kiat Min this. She says Suria Capital wants to bank on the rising tourism industry in Sabah. But, will it be quick enough to capt...

The role of auditors is a crucial one - be it internal or external auditors. They are essentially the “gatekeepers” for the state of finance of a company. However, over the years, Malaysia is not lacking in terms of accounting scandals. The prominent fraud cases among listed companies in Malaysia in recent years include Transmile Group Bhd, Kenmark Industrial Co (M) Bhd, Linear Corp Bh...