The Breakfast Grille

With the rolling out of the SST this week and the advent of smartphones as a key competitor, we speak to Andrew Koh, President and CEO of digital imaging solutions provider Canon Malaysia about their outlook under the new tax regime as well as how they're adapting to the new dynamic technology landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malayan United Industries' (MUI) Andrew Khoo returned to the group end of last year as CEO after being absent for six years. Andrew is the son to the group's major shareholder Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng. Andrew is back in the group at a time that is very different compared to when he left in 2012. The state of play today for MUI has changed drastically, coupled by fact that the group has been lossmakin...

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, AirAsia, talks about the airline’s future, routes, expansion, fuel surcharges, aircraft and its long-standing feud with Malaysia Airports. He also discusses QPR, getting married and getting fit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CIMB Group Holdings Bhd's Group CEO Tengku Dato' Seri Zafrul Aziz ponders on what it means for the banking group to do business in this New Malaysia. He also talks about the banking group's earnings outlook moving forward and the strategies CIMB will be undertaking in the midst of a tougher operating landscape. Zafrul reveals for the first time that CIMB will be kicking off T23 (Target 23) after T...

Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah Dr Wan Ismail wears many hats in her personal and professional lives - medical doctor, devoted wife, steadfast party leader, and now the first woman Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. We get up close and personal with her for reflections on her political journey and her priorities for the nation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amid the oversupply of retail space in Malaysia alongside the threat of e-commerce to brick and mortar stores, Sunway Malls aims to become the country's largest owner and operator of shopping malls. Kevin explains the growth strategies for specific assets within the company's portfolio, while sharing his outlook for the retail sector in the face of broader macroeconomic conditions. See omnystudio....

Datuk Dr. Kuljit Singh is President of the Association of Private Hospitals Long waiting times and perceived disparity in service standards between public and private healthcare in Malaysia has been a long standing grouse. Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh of the Association of Private Hospital discusses the factors affecting healthcare services and proposals for reform to bridge the gap. See omnystudio.com/l...

According to the Statistics Department, Selangor’s urbanisation rate stands at 91%.  How does the state government balance the competing demands of development and conservation in improving the quality of urban living? We discuss the issues at hand with Selangor State Executive Councilor Haniza Talha. She also discusses gender diversity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Despite being one of the fastest growing banking sectors, Islamic finance is still relatively small compared to the global industry, and the sector has seen a decrease in its growth rate since 2014. What happened? We ask CIMB Isl amic's CEO, R afe H aneef  this. Rafe also shares his insights on the evolution of Islamic banking and how VBI (Value-Based Intermediation) will change the state of...

Ng Zhu Hann, Director of Strategy for Country Garden Pacific View Sdn Bhd, updates listeners on its five projects in Malaysia that focus on Johor/Iskandar and the Klang Valley and the motivations that drive its operations here in terms of going beyond being a pure property developer to becoming more holistic in nature.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ARA Asset Management, which is partly owned by Li Ka Shing’s CK Asset, operates four malls in Malaysia. Chia shares the strategies adopted by one of Asia's largest REIT managers for its Malaysian assets, which has to contend with the current oversupply in retail space and fend off the e-commerce threat, while looking to grow its global portfolio size to SGD100 billion. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Subang MP Wong Chen offers a backbencher's unvarnished and personal take on how his party has performed in its first hundred days in office 25:08 - Dennis Kam, founder of The Harapan Tracker weighs in on this with some burning questions for Wong Chen.       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelin, the second largest tire makers in the world, boasts capabilities of manufacturing high quality products. As a latecomer to the Malaysian market however, Michelin is up against other manufacturers who have been the top choice for Malaysians when purchasing tires for their vehicles. How do Malaysians make their choice when shopping for tires? Pascal Nouvellon, its Managing Director for Mal...

Since 1983, Grameen Bank has issued about US$25 billion in collateral-free loans to the poorest of the poor in Bangladesh, while boasting a loan repayment rate of 99%. 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, shares how his microcredit model has been successfully replicated in over 100 countries, while challenging existing norms in the mainstream financial sector. See omnystudi...

The SST (Sales and Services Tax) is a hot topic in the country this year. With the targeted SST implementation date just weeks away are businesses ready? What can we expect when SST kicks in? The government says the SST would be a benefit to the consumers as it covers only 38% of CPI basket compared to 60% in the case of GST (Goods and Services Tax). But, would opportunists take advantage of the s...

On May 9th, 32-year-old Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir trounced then-Felda chairman and UMNO veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Samad with a majority of about 20,000 votes for the Parliamentary seat of Johor Bahru. Akmal discusses the issues he plans to champion in Parliament as a first-term MP, and addresses the factionalism within PKR. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a new leadership installed, the question is how different a course will this 20 year organisation, dedicated to providing financial aid to those wanting to pursue tertiary education, have to chart. Between the spirit of generosity (mesra) and commitment to instil financial prudence in the young, PTPTN attempts to collect from past borrowers to fund the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Rohit Nambiar is the Chief Executive Officer of AXA-Affin Life Insurance Company. We speak to Rohit on the impact of ownership limitations for foreign insurers in Malaysia, growth prospects in what seems to be a stagnating market and the benefit of introducing disruptive technology to AXA-Affin's medical insurance distribution network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Ian Goldin is the author of ‘The Pursuit of Development’ and ‘Age of Discovery’ and the Founding Director of the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University. The Oxford Martin School was established to pioneer research to address critical global challenges -- everything from climate change to inequality. We speak to Professor Goldin about what he thinks is the bigge...

The Penang Transport Master Plan began with a push from civil society activists but has turned into a object of protest because of values that no longer fit its original purpose. With ballooning costs and criticism that its more of a “property play” rather than design to solve Penang’s transport woes in the most cost-efficient, environmentally-friendly and sustainable way. Today...

Star Media Group’s OTT (over the top) business - dimsum - turns 2 this year and it was launched as the group wanted to evolve beyond the traditional media space. Star Media said it was going into OTT as the group needed to change to continue to be a sustainable business in the future. But to be sustainable, businesses need to be profitable. Is dimsum profitable? Kim reveals that it is still...

The East-West Center is a think tank based in Hawaii, set up by the US congress in 1960 to promote understanding between the US and the nations of Asia Pacific. We speak to Richard Vuylsteke, President of the East-West Center to discus US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific, under the Trump administration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yoong Hau Chun, Group Managing Director of the particleboard and furniture maker, HeveaBoard Bhd, shares his strategy on navigating tough times for the company, like high raw material costs, poor forex prices and tight labor conditions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UMNO finds itself on the opposition bench for the first time following GE14. Can the party reinvent itself in Malaysia Baharu? Melisa Idris speaks to Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, UMNO Youth's newly elected chief, on the future of the party and his stand on contentious issues like child marriage, RUU355 and the UEC.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March 2018, Singapore tycoon Peter Lim injected the privately-held Thomson Medical Group and TMC Life Sciences into the Singapore-listed real estate firm Rowsley. It was then renamed Thomson Medical Group -- to reflect its change in focus from real estate to healthcare. We speak to Roy Quek, Executive Director of TMC Life Sciences, on aligning the group’s plans with its parent company, as...