The Breakfast Grille

Paul Gibbons, Managing Director of Sports Direct Malaysia, discusses the whys and wherefores behind his company's fourfold increase in stores, while also dispelling preconceptions on thin margins (not true), high staff turnover and attrition (not true) and a lucrative e-commerce model (also not true but only up to a point and for good reason). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bilateral relations between Ecuador and Malaysia- first established in 1994 - can be described as friendly, with a focus on trade relations. We speak to Her Excellency Laura Raquel Donoso Gonzalez, Ambassador of Ecuador to Malaysia on the present relationship and untapped potential in economic and cultural ties between the two countries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his first media interview as CEO of IFCA MSC Bhd, Michael Cho shares with the Morning Run his plans for the company with him in the driving seat. In the midst of a tougher and fast changing operating landscape, Cho talks about the company's plans to revamp its business model through its IFCA 2.0 transformation programme. IFCA, that turns 30 this year, is a software solutions provider to propert...

Having built five companies from startup to  IPO, Patrick Grove, the founder of Catcha Group has become a billionaire worth RM 2 billion. We speak to him about his ventures; both successful and unsuccessful and also his role in the Digital Free Trade Zone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ASEAN Open Skies Agreement aims to create a unified and single aviation market across Southeast Asia. Even with the full ratification by all 10-member countries in April 2016, has there been enough real progress for the agreement to realize its full potential? Tan Sri Rebecca and Ali weigh in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of the Budget 2018's announcement, Nurhisham Hussein and Veerinderjeet Singh discuss fiscal consolidation and the deficit, as well as GST and the corresponding aggressive tax collection. They also give their insight into the state of Malaysian education and if the budget addresses the key issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The World Bank and Deloitte help frame expectations for Malaysia's 2018 Budget, set to be tabled in Parliament by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at 3:30PM today (Friday, October 27). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dinesh speaks about their flagship project In Malaysia which is the Lifestyle Quarter at TRX(Tun Razak Exchange), and why they stayed invested in TRX despite the controversy surrounding 1MDB. He also discusses Lendlease's global expertise in urban regeneration projects and gives his take on the local construction and property sectors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The facilitation of trade, commerce and investments between the EU and Malaysia is the key role played by the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Today we ask how shifts in European political dynamics - the rise of right-wing populism, Brexit, the refugee crisis - as well as the problem of low growth and an ageing population have created uncertainty over Europe. And how by contrast, ASEA...

Paul Lim, CEO of power company PESTECH International, discusses its surge through Malaysia and the region since its 2012 listing, talking about its projects here, Indochina and in Europe, as nascent economies and countries clamour for more development, sparked by increasing power needs.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British engineer-turned-entrepreneur Kevin Gaskell is credited for reviving luxury car brand Porsche in the 1990s, and went on to have successful leadership stints at other major companies. We speak to Kevin about his wide-ranging business experiences in turnarounds as well as building and selling business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His Excellency Carlos Dominguez Diaz, the Spanish Ambassador to Malaysia, breaks down Catalanonia's independence movement, latterly moving on to the improving Spanish economy, the rise of populism in Europe, what appears to be a dearth of Far-Right politics in Spain and Portugal and the wave of immigration in Europe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having made 10 acquisitions since 2012, Samsonite clearly has no intention of resting on its laurels. Satish also explains Malaysia's importance as a growth market for the world's largest luggage maker by volume. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From its beginnings as a land transport company in 1965, Xin Hwa has recently bet on e-commerce to drive its growth forward. Kok also outlines key features of the RM100 million expansion plan over the next 2 years, for the integrated logistics services provider. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Whittaker shares the growth story of New Zealand-made Whittaker’s chocolate, the country’s Most Trusted Brand ,which was established by over 120 years ago by his great grandfather. He talks about their successes in Asia, particularly in Malaysia and also their future growth plans in China and North America. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Jeffrey Chew to find out how Paramount is growing two different but synergistic businesses and moving from strength to strength via acquisitions and an asset light strategy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There had been news that Japan's Yamato is considering taking a majority stake in Malaysian GD Express Carrier Bhd (GDex) from its 23% currently, and it wants to “position Malaysia as a strategic base". In an exclusive interview with BFM, Teong Teck Lean CEO and largest shareholder of GDex revealed that he is still very invested in the company. "For me, it is better that we have a strategic...

We speak to newly-elected Malaysian Bar President George Varughese about the role of the Malaysian Bar in contributing to public discourse and the progress he has made on the Legal Aid Scheme. He also explains why the Malaysian Bar viewed the recent appointments of Tun Md Raus Sharif and Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin as "unprecedented and unconstitutional". See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

The prevailing narrative today is that the news media is in trouble. This is fuelled by the disrupted business model, the rise of “fake news” as well as some people claiming that there are media who are no longer balanced but are used as a tool by governments or owners to their own benefit. What's a media veteran's take on that? We speak to Datuk Wong Sai Wan, Editor-in-Chief of M...

Trade between Malaysia and Brazil is expected to hit a record high of US$4 billion this year. But given its political turmoil, corruption scandals and alleged violations of international trade rules, how can Latin America’s largest country shore up confidence in the global community? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato Sri Meer gives us an overview of the retail sector in Malaysia,and the upcoming 18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) organised and hosted by the Malaysian Retailers Associations. We also talk to him about his businesses and how Habib Group is evolving with the times. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the world's leading economists of inequality, Branko Milanovic looks at who has won and who has lost from globalisation. He discusses the now famous 'Elephant Graph' which has been called the most important chart of 2016. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bermaz Auto is the sole distributor of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia and the Philippines. It saw its latest quarterly earnings fall by over 50% amid a challenging industry landscape. We speak to CEO Dato' Sri Ben Yeoh on the company’s sales performance, the steps being taken to counter the slump and opportunities in the automotive industry, regionally. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Malaysia Debt Ventures (MDV) has disbursed more than RM11 billion in financing to more than 680 technology companies since its inception in 2012. Its latest fund of RM1 billion will focus on technology-based companies that are in early stages of growth and development. This is in stark contrast to MDV’s previous funds that were catered to developed, mature and revenue-stage companies that ha...

Quick Ride, a company conceptualised by Cartrade Group and Koperasi Amanah Pe-laburan Bhd (KAPB), is providing a new leasing service targeted at the fresh grads and unemployed, to leverage on the network of Uber and Proton cars. Its CEO, Mohamed Fahmi Mohamed Ilyas discusses the viability of its business model, including answering the key question of whether this is an unwelcome return to the arch...