The Breakfast Grille

Reading is an act of civilization; it’s one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities, says author Ben Okri. Yet all over the world educationists and parents worry that children are turning away from reading, and reading books in particular, to skim, swipe and browse. Today, on UNESCO’s World Book Day, we...

Microsoft Founder Bill Gates' calls “Enlightment Now” his "favorite book of all time”. The Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, and the author of at least 9 books, including “The Better Angels of Our Nature: A History of Violence and Humanity”, speaks to the scepticism of our age with evidence and a faith in a common human predilection for personal progress, secu...

Even with recent job wins, Advanceon's share prices have erased most of its gains since its February 2017 IPO. Yeo unearths the potential in the earthworks and civil engineering business, while sharing the company's outlook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having relaunched its brand in Malaysia in 2015, Tata Motors is hoping to gain larger market share in the domestic market. Rudrarup outlines the growth potential and strategy for India's largest automobile manufacturer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March, Vladimir Putin won Russia's Presidential election to become the longest serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin. We speak to Chris Miller, author of "Putinomics: Power and Money in Resurgent Russia" for insights. Chris attempts to address the success of the Russian president, going into Putin's politics, economic strategies and fiscal policy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Serba Dinamik has made a number of acquisitions in recent months, with more in the works. What kind of synergies and risks could this present to the energy solutions provider? We catch up with Group CEO Dato’ Dr Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah on the company’s outlook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Iclif , the not-for-profit Bank Negara-funded leadership and organisational development centre, discusses his organisation’s evolving focus in the wake of recent 1MDB-related omissions in the financial services sector,  Iclif's widening mandate and how leadership is changing in this era of ‘Naked’ - read: transparent — capitalism. See omnystud...

Are manifestos still relevant in this day and age? Together with our guests, Ali Salman and Ben Suffian, we look at the economic impact of party manifestos and how it will shape the narrative of the upcoming elections. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 29th of March, The Malaysian Insight, published an article on titled, "Mid-week Polling Date for GE14?" almost two weeks before the Election Commission confirmed the article's speculation. Today we ask what lead the portal to publish that story as well as the subsequent fallout as ordinary voters and political parties count the intended and unintended consequence of this move. See omnystudi...

Indonesian listed Cardig Aero Services (CAS Group) is in businesses that centre around the air transportation industry, with businesses in logistics, airport handling and cargo, as well as catering and facilities management. Indonesia's aviation industry  is vital for many Indonesians to travel across the nation, with its approximate 17,500 islands, and  government and industry observers...

As an emerging economy, Malaysia is an important partner for the European Union. Malaysia is the EU's second largest trade partner in the Southeast Asian region, whilst the EU is Malaysia's third largest trading partner. How relations between the two go beyond trade. We speak to H.E. Maria Castillo Fernandez, the ambassador of Delegation of the European Union to Malaysia to explore how the EU has...

Faizal Othman, CEO of the national wastewater management company Indah Water Konsortium​ discusses its financial situation and prospects, operational challenges, sustainability plans and roadmap to financial parity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

iPay88 was “fintech” before the word “fintech” was coined and became a mainstream word. Lim shares with us the back story on how ipay88 came about in 2006.  Over a decade old today, are there IPO plans in the pipeline? We ask Lim this. We also discuss the current “it” topic when it comes to electronic payments-- e-wallets. With so many people making a beeli...

Across the globe, governments are faced with the problem of curbing illicit trade. The implications of illegal cross-border goods goes beyond the economy. Senior Economist with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Piotr Stryszowski talks to us about the depth of the problem, and how governments around the world are approaching it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Carved out from the Axiata group in 2012, edotco is the first regional and integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia. It has ambitious expansion plans but the company seems to have hit some turbulence with its recent expansion into Pakistan delayed. What happened? Suresh also talks about how the current operating landscape has shifted and what is the state of play today...

Nestlé Malaysia's revenue, net profits and share prices have been on an upward trajectory, despite consumer concerns over Milo's sugar content. Alois addresses those health concerns, and also comments on Mydin's claims that Malaysian's 'just don't have money'. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the Golden Triangle and the death camps of Wang Kelian, to the Islamic State and the siege of Marawi City, illegal trade flows and prospers. Today we ask our guest,  who was at The Economist’s Global Illicit Trade Summit 2018,  what has been, what’s not being done and what the consequences are for failing to stem the tide of illicit trade in the region. See omnystudio.co...

Siobhan Das, Executive Director of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), fields questions centering on declining US investment in Malaysia and shares US business interests' pain points and areas for Malaysia to improve.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

iCar Asia positions itself as the leading cars portal network in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. We speak to CEO Hamish Stone about the ever-changing consumer trends and how iCar plans to stay competitive amid a crowded online automotive landscape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite regaining second place in terms of service revenue market share, Celcom lost about 1 million subscribers in 2017. Can Axiata's largest operating company make further advances in an already saturated market? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A five-minute elevator pitch backed by five years of ground-work produced a new agency, one tasked with improving the “cultural sector of the creative economy”. It positions itself as “a connector between creators, regulating bodies, private investors or businesses, policymakers and consumers”. Today we ask if this million-Ringgit government venture will give the public ban...

Gavin shares his expertise about managing due diligence and third-party risk when it comes to global operations. He also talks about how Malaysian companies and organisations can better equip themselves to deal with the challenges. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UN High Commission for Refugees report “I am Here, I Belong”  surveys seven countries, including Thailand and Malaysia. The report asserts that “no child needs to be stateless. Whether a child has been left stateless because of discriminatory nationality laws or other reasons, childhood statelessness is entirely preventable.” The question we ask today is why haven&...

The world’s largest rubber glove manufacturer, Top Glove Corporation, now plans to diversify into the condom-making business. With aspirations to become a Fortune 500 company by 2040, we ask Top Glove’s Managing Director, Dato Lee Kim Meow, what lies ahead for the company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump recently signed the Taiwan Travel bill, which encourages US officers to meet their Taiwanese counterparts. China reacted to the bill, saying it was "strongly dissatisfied". Amid such heightened tensions between the US and China, how does Taipei, which is seen as a "pawn" in Sino-US relations, continue pushing its New Southbound Policy? James shares his perspective, while...