The Breakfast Grille

Weathering Tough Times in the Plantation Sector

16 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

2015 has been a tough year for plantation companies, with higher-than-expected global palm oil stocks, softening demand, and lacklustre CPO prices. Pe...

Designing Solutions for the 21st Century

15 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

NYSE-listed engineering firm AECOM has had a hand in designing & implementing some of the world's most complex infrastructure projects across the ...

DNeX - New Year, New Ambitions

14 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

E-commerce service provider Dagang NeXchange (DNeX) is diversifying into the oil & gas sector despite the sector's challenging operating environme...

Are You Game for Business?

11 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Euronext-listed game developer, Gameloft has come a long way since the early days of PC gaming to internet & mobile gaming. Country Manger Nathana...

IT Solutions for Governments

10 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

HeiTech Padu is the country's IT solutions provider for the government. Harris Ismail explains the pains in making governments their clients, but also...

Social Funding as a Philanthropic Gateway

09 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Funding projects that have the potential to uplift lives may not yield profits in the short term if at all. But there is a set of investors who don't ...

Investing In Malaysia

08 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dato' Azman Mahmud, CEO of Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), describes the current investment landscape in Malaysia, He however defend...

TPPA - What's in it For Us?

07 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

How will the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement impact Malaysia? As negotiations come to a close, we find out from a panel of government representati...

It's Not Just Bean Counting

04 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As Malaysia races towards the convergence of accounting standards by 2018, we look at transparency in reporting standards with Tony Manwaring  Ex...

Princess Cruises: Full Steam Ahead in Asia

03 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Cruise liner tour companies are pinning their growth hopes on Asia, despite low consumer awareness about cruise holidays. Farriek Tawfik, Director of ...

Scicom Consulting The World

02 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Scicom MSC Berhad started as a business process outsourcing firm. In nearly two decades, they grew into a multimillion ringgit business with a deep fo...

Eu Yan Sang Rides the Wellness Bandwagon

01 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

For a company that is well over a hundred years old, Eu Yan Sang's new challenge is to tap into the youth demographic and into a very well-informed ma...

Delivery Security Amidst Risk & Slowdown

30 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Leading medical and travel security risk services company, International SOS is facing new competition from other healthcare & insurance players i...

Bolstering EU - Malaysia Ties

27 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

EUMCCI's mission is to support and develop the interest of EU businesses in Malaysia, as well as facilitate trade. Daniel Pans discusses if the curren...

Reinventing Penang's Transport System

26 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Penang’s Transport Master Plan (TMP) is expected to contribute greatly to the development of the state, with over RM27 billion in transportation...

ERP: Buffet or A La Carte?

25 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

SAP offers comprehensive end-to-end solutions for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). How would they face the kind of challenges from highly specialis...

Tapping Consumer Demand in Fast-Growing Borneo

24 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dexter Lau, Executive Director of the Sabah-based consumer packaging good company, Kim Teck Cheong, talks up his upcoming IPO and fields queries on it...

Starting Starbucks

23 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In 1971, Zev Siegl and two friends started a little coffee store in Seattle. They named that little coffee shop, the Starbucks Coffee Company. Listen ...

Hand Over Fist

20 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

ONE Championship claims to be Asia's largest sports media property, with a global broadcast to over 1 billion homes across 75 countries. CEO Victor Cu...

Challenges in Housing the Nation

19 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Cagamas, the national mortgage corporation of Malaysia plays a vital role in the value chain to promote the spread of house ownership in Malaysia, act...

Making Malaysia Hyper on Energy (MMHE)

18 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia Marine Heavy Engineering (MMHE) Bhd is going through some turbulent times, as their earnings stay depressed going into the final stretch for ...

Calling a SPADe a SPADe

17 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The licensing regime has been a huge burden on taxi drivers for decades. The emergence of the so-called ride-sharing apps like Uber and GrabTaxi has s...

Aesop's Fabled Skincare

16 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to this podcast as Michael O'Keeffe, CEO of globally renowned skincare brand, Aesop, defends it's premium pricing  brand and how he sees t...

Haze And Plantation, Pain And Profits

13 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We find out whether Sime Darby, the world's largest palm oil planter, has a truly sustainable business in the plantation sector. Also, they are asked ...

Cash Converters: A Brick & Mortar Niche

12 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the rising phenomenon of online trading for everything, Cash Converters remains relevant because they offer customers the chance to touch and ...

Green Aims, But Hoping it Doesn't See Red Instead

11 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Ahmad Hadri Haris, CEO of GreenTech Malaysia, discusses his mandate to 'green' the nation within the company's four pillars of green financing, green ...

Maybank Islamic Front and Center

09 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dato' Muzaffar Hisham, CEO of Maybank Islamic leads the country's largest Islamic bank by assets and by branch network. Listen to the podcast to find ...

Breaking Malaysia's Top 3 Hegemony

06 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Philip Smith, CEO of Zurich Insurance Group, discusses ambitious Malaysian market growth plans, company KPIs, takaful plans, operational statistics (l...

Staying Ahead in The Big 4

05 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Corporate Malaysia is seeing a downturn in earnings and accounting firms like PwC are also coming under pressure to undercut fees. Sridharan discusses...

Making Accountants Accountable

03 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On a panel discussion, we grille Dato' Nur Jazlan Mohamed and Tan Sri Samad Alias on why they vacated their posts, as PAC Chairman, and 1MDB Advisor r...

Banking On SMEs

02 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

 The SME sector will be the driving force that will help propel the nation's growth.  But with much of the sector still unable to access ade...

Turner: Looking Beyond Building Buildings

30 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

When you look at a city’s skyline, chances are the global construction giant Turner, has had a hand in shaping it. It’s built the Burj Kha...

The Future of Fututech

29 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We explore further the fairness of the personal asset injections by Datuk Tee who is the major shareholder of Fututech. Fututech will be specialising ...

Terrorism - Propaganda by the Deed

28 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Having served in the United Nations holding the position of a Senior Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, our guest today is well placed to ...

Convenience Store for Oil and Gas Players

27 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Haida Shenny Hazri, Chief Executive Officer of Tok Bali Supply Base, talks about setting up an offshore oil & gas supply base in the depths of an ...

Is the Budget Up for Some Innovation?

26 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Despite its controversy and detractors, the GST is going to turn out to be a viable major revenue generator. And since the government has raised the i...

Budget 2016: Needs and Funding

22 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The haemorrhage in the ringgit and oil price would put more of a spotlight on Budget 2016. This is coming at a time when the rakyat is becoming ever m...

The Discipline vs Development Conundrum in Budgets

22 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Fitch Ratings, one of the “Big Three" credit rating agencies has maintained an A- rating for Malaysian government bonds. Ahead of the Budget Day...

Tracking The Country's Growth

21 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Fostier is the Group Deputy CEO of Colas Rail. They are involved in the MRT and LRT projects of the country. They are also bidding for the Hig...

Xi Jinping - Child of Mao or Deng?

20 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The Premier of China is now in the United Kingdom, having only recently visited the United States. He’s crafted his message to the global public...

Making Malaysia Cashless

19 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Chew Chee Seng, the MD and CEO of Managepay Systems, discusses the need to create an aggressive cashless payment environment in Malaysia, and how it w...

Breaking the Film Mould

16 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia's film industry is at a crossroads. While there are plenty of talent and creativity around, Malaysia is in dire need of entrepreneurial and b...

Malaysia's Mega Movers

15 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Logistics company Xin Hwa Holdings went for IPO recently -- at a time when not many companies would have been brave enough to do so. Chief Financial O...

Massaging Interest for a Mysterious Asset Class

13 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Meor Amri Meor Ayob, CEO of Bond Pricing Agency Malaysia, explains the local bond market, the difficulty of pricing this asset class, the efforts and ...

L&G: Mayland in the Driving Seat

12 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Since Mayland's management control of Land & General back in 2007, things have been looking up for the property group. Revenues and profits have g...

The Technological Arms Race in Bitcoin Mining

09 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Bitcoins have gold- and money-like characteristics. Proponents would in fact say that because bitcoin supply is limited and its mining difficult, it i...

France - Bringing Down The Barricades

08 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Leaders from over 190 nations will gather in Paris later in December to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change, aimed at reducing g...

Get Cash, Fasta

07 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Fastacash works with mobile operators and financial institutions to let users transfer 'value', be it money, airtime, coupons, through social networks...

Navigating Through Tough Times in REITS

06 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin Xayaraj, Co-Founder & CEO of the SGX-listed Sabana REIT, discusses the implications of managing what it claims is the world's largest listed...

(A Little) Money for Your Life

05 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia is an underinsured and undercovered nation. U For Life is a company that tries to address this by selling cheap life insurance policies onlin...

Teach a Man to Fish? Or Give Him Cash?

02 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

GiveDirectly is trying to help poor people in the developing world in an unusual way: by sending them money with no strings attached. But what of the ...

Will Online Unit Trust Trading Stay?

01 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

iFast Corporation, through its branding, Fundsupermart.com, has been selling unit trusts online for over 15 years. While they are big in Singapore and...

Making Space Spacious

30 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

LHN Group is in the business of optimizing spaces in Singapore, the world's most densely populated country. With over 7,000 persons per square kilomet...

Health and Wellness Seen Driving Asian Wearables Market

29 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Morley, VP Asia Pacific of the NYSE-listed health and fitness wearables company Fitbit, discusses Asia-Pacific growth strategy and cheap Chinese...

Enacting Political Financing Laws

28 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Senator Paul Low, Minister in the PM's Department is in charge of integrity and good governance. We ask him about the political funding committee and ...

30% Club: No Quota Needed

25 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The 30% Club was founded in Britain, and as per its name, the group’s goal is to boost the proportion of women on boards of directors to 30 perc...

What the Truck Is Going On

23 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Hartmut Mueller, Managing Director of MAN discusses if the heavy vehicle industry is an accurate gauge of Malaysia's manufacturing sector. He also wei...

Branding Malaysia for the 21st Century

22 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Foley, president of President of Asia Pacific for global brand consulting firm Landor Associates, discusses the firm's involvement with the re-br...

'Stockbroking Is Not A Sunset Industry'

21 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

With commission rates coming down in stockbroking PhillipCapital believes that they can rise up to the challenge of maintaining profitability. In this...

Mercedes Benz in the Driver's Seat

18 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

No stranger to the local automotive scene, Roland Folger who steered Mercedes-Benz Malaysia to be the market leader in the luxury segment will be taki...

The Changing Face of the Casino Business

17 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Helmed by the grandson of Genting's founder, Lim Goh Tong, Donaco has set up in borders towns in Vietnam and Cambodia to capture business from neighbo...

Malaysia Day - Shape of the Future

15 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

From Sarawak to Semenajung, whatever side of the political divide they are, young Malaysians are having to decide if they want to participate actively...

PruBSN Leads the Way in Family Takaful

14 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Prudential BSN Takaful Malaysia is the market leader in family takaful, or Islamic insurance. We examine their business model, the Shariah governance ...

Turning A New Page for E-Commerce

11 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Singapore-based startup, Page Advisor, wants to be the go-to app in connecting consumers to small- and medium-sized merchants. Fabian Lim shares the s...

Future-proofing Australia's Financial System

10 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Camille Blackburn is a principal advisor to the Australian government in its Financial System Inquiry. She discusses what it takes to lay out a bluepr...

Hannah And Her Politics

09 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The first woman Speaker ever of any state Assembly and its youngest, DAP’s Hannah Yeoh, speaks about good governance, being a Christian and her ...

Ericsson Leads The Way Among Telco Vendors

08 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Ericsson was one of the worlds leading mobile phone makers. Today, they lead the way in being the world's largest telecommunications and network equip...

Liberalism Against the Tide

07 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The electoral drubbing of the Liberal Democrats in recent UK polls suggests the decline of a party, which in the words of Lord Ashdown, is the only tr...

Striking Oil For the Future

04 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Enra Group Berhad, previously known as Perduren Berhad, is aggresively looking to become the next company servicing the downstream of the oil and gas ...

A Swedish Heavyweight On Malaysian Roads

03 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Swedish automotive manufacturer of commercial vehicles, Scania, is a big name in Europe. But can it make a name for itself here in Southeast Asia? Ma...

From Startup To IPO, Aemulus Tells Their Story

02 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Aemulus Holdings Berhad is a tech startup that went from being a company solely funded by founders, to being a publicly listed company on the stock ex...

Transforming India's Tech Landscape

01 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Widely regarded as India's Father of IT, Narayana Murthy is the visionary founder of multi-billion dollar technology firm, Infosys. We discuss his vis...

Invest Selangor Remains Optimistic

28 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Hasan Azhari, the CEO of Invest Selangor, discusses the group's plans in providing a self-sustaining ecosystem & infrastructure for potential inve...

What Causes an Economic Crisis?

27 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Schulte has served as an analyst, advising global banks and governments like the White House, International Trade Commission and the National Sec...

How Does The Perfume Industry Perform In A Lean Economy

26 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Oud, Gaharu, Agarwood. We refer to them by different names, but they are all the same: the 'liquid gold' that comes from the Aquilaria tree species. W...

Ford Drives Into Emerging Markets

24 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

David Westerman, the Managing Director for Malaysia and Asia Pacific Emerging Markets for Ford Motors, discusses the impact of GST and the weaker ring...

A New Chapter for E-books in Malaysia

21 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Xentral Methods Sdn Bhd manages e-Sentral.com, an e-bookstore. Faiz Al-Shahab, the co-founder and managing director of Xentral Methods, talks about t...

Time To Reinvent Thai Policies Amidst A Political Lull?

20 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Thailand's former finance minister, Korn Chatikavanij, talks about the 'timeout' the country is currently undergoing, as the country is presently...

Insuring Against Turbulence

19 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Junior Cho, Chief Executive Officer of Tune Insurance was with us this morning on The Breakfast Grille, and we discussed the outlook for travel insura...

Is There Hope After the Emerging Currency Rout?

18 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Investment guru Dr. Marc Faber built his career and amassed a fortune on anticipating the rise & fall of stock markets. His outlook for the coming...

World's Largest Dairy Producer, Fonterra Brands

17 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as we speak to Fonterra Brands, the world's largest dairy producer and processor. Fonterra carries household name brands like Anmum, Anlene, F...

Affin Hwang Capital Leverages On Synergies, And How A Potential Merger Is On The Horizon

14 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Affin Hwang Capital is the investment banking arm of Affin Holdings. They are among the largest securities firms in the nation. Have a listen to their...

Beyond Play Money

13 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd is a Khazanah unit handling theme parks like Legoland, Kidzania and Sanrio Hello Kitty Town. What are th...

In the Young and High-Growth Lau Trusts

12 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Lau Kin-Wai, Chief Executive Officer of the ASX, Australia--listed Fatfish Internet Group, talks about how his listed venture capital investment incub...

From Port Software Into Satellite Communications

11 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Puvanesan Subenthiran, CEO of Privasia Technology Bhd, the ACE Market-listed IT Services company, talks about diversifying away from its core ports an...

Should SMEs Fear Equity Dilution?

10 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Eureeca is the first online equity crowdfunding platform, where investors become shareholders in the chosen SME. Sam Quawasmi, the managing director a...

Dilmah: Taking The World By Storm In A Teacup

07 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

For over 150 years, the Ceylon tea you thought you were drinking was not really Ceylon tea. It was instead this impure mix of leaves from various sour...

The Future of Chaebols

06 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Are South Korean Chaebols or conglomerates a boon or bane to the economy. And can they get away with murder? Image Source: Peter Schrank, the Economi...

Cordlife Group Banks on Stem Cells

05 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Why haven't doctors themselves stored their children's cord blood? Are there truths to stem cell research? Are private cell banks better tha...

Surfing the Real Estate Digital Migration Wave

04 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Georg Chmiel, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the iProperty Group, talks about building an ASEAN Internet property classifieds...

From Slot Machines to Software: How Casinos are Evolving

03 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Gladstone, CEO of the Australia-listed gaming machine and software producer Ainsworth Game Technology, talks about the ever-evolving nature of c...

Art as an Asset Investment

31 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

BFM's Sharaad Kuttan talks to Lim Eng Chong, Managing Director of the Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers about the budding local art scene, and the profita...

Borro: Not Just The Rich Man’s Pawnshop

30 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Alternative financier Borro provides short-term loans secured by luxury assets such as fine art, classic cars, jewellery, antiques, fine wine, etc. To...

Climbing the Slippery Price/Sustainability Slope

29 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In this July 2015 interview, Tan Sri Datuk Dr Yusof Basiron, the CEO of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), discusses the challenges of having a vi...

Bridging the Information Gap between Listed Companies and Investors

28 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Ng talks to Malaysian Investor Relations Association (MIRA) Chairman, Steven Tan about how the profession has evolved to meet the increasi...

Ever wondered who looks at your banking transactions? Experian does.

27 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Experian describes to us what data analytics is, and how they use your data to train banks to be better in credit, analytics, and risk. Learn how Expe...

Rebuilding to Greater Heights

23 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As the construction arm of the Sunway Group, the group will relist on the Bursa Malaysia Main Market at possibly one of the most volatile fiscal years...

Microlink Solutions, Malaysian Bank's IT Partner

22 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Microlink talks to BFM on their role in the IT world, by supporting the banks in Malaysia. They also talk about their outlook on the future of banking...

Revolutionizing The Workplace

20 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Vijayakumar Tangarasan, the country manager of Regus Malaysia discusses how the traditional workstyle is being transformed by technology, replaced by ...

100 Days of GST

16 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It has been more than 100 days since the implementation of GST, but the teething problems of the new tax system is far from resolved. Yee Wing Peng of...