The Breakfast Grille

Bata Tries a New Fit

23 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Paolo Grassi, managing director of Bata Malaysia comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the changing the strategy of the well-known shoe maker. P...

Powering Into Oil and Gas

22 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this 2014 interview, Eversendai Corporation Berhad Executive Chairman Tan Sri AK Nathan discusses the company's current order book and bids, revenu...

IHH's Healthy Growth

21 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Apart from Malaysia, IHH is also doing well in Turkey despite the political turmoil of the past year. IHH's focus on the greater emerging markets area...

Oohs and Aahs of Wah Seong

18 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

While the oil & gas related pipe-coating business is still the mainstay of Wah Seong, substantial resources are also being deployed to and vested ...

Gold for Brass?

17 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Chief Executive Officer, Mohd Farid Nawawi joins us on the Breakfast Grille to explain if there is still space in the property market for a mid-tier p...

Going from Big to Boutique

16 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Sill, Country Executive, Royal Bank of Scotland Malaysia, offers a business update since the sale of its regional investment banking businesses...

Sasbadi Future Proofs its Business

14 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Law King Hui, managing director of Sasbadi Holdings Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the company's upcoming listing on the Main Board a...

Low-Cost with Benefits

11 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Through AirAsia BIG, AirAsia is effectively giving budget travellers a redemption programme that doubles up as a prepayment mechanism. The C$17m acqui...

Making a Business of Crossing Borders

10 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

James Yap, director of Rayford Migration comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the business of migration, Rayford Migration, as its name suggest...

Sailing Into Serene Waters

09 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Leong Seng Keat, Chief Executive Officer of Nam Cheong Ltd, talks about its business model in offshore support vessels (OSV), the outlook for orders, ...

From Tiles and Plastics to Property and Construction: A Company in Transition

08 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Zulkarnin Bin Ariffin, Group Managing Director of Seacera Group Berhad, discusses its tile industry market share, its competition, cheap Chinese impor...

Monetising the Moment's Conversation

07 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Behind every major news and every personal update is the ubiquity of Twitter. At 2% market share of social media views since its inception, we explore...

Thailand, Who’s Smiling Now?

04 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A trained lawyer and career diplomat, the Thai Ambassador explains, as he has done many times with representatives of other governments, the “ne...

MKH Banks on Kajang and CPO

03 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Today we have with us on the Breakfast Grille, Tan Sri Datuk Eddy Chen Lok Loi, the managing director of MKH Bhd. MKH, formerly known as Metro Kajang,...

Khind Controls itself Amid Challenging Climate

02 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Boh Boon Chiang, the COO of Khind Holdings Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the current business environment ahead of the GST hike next...

Wraith, Ghost, Phantom : Building a 110 Year Legacy

01 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A brand synonymous with luxury and the pinnacle of opulence, Regional Director Asia Pacific , Paul Harris explains why the 110 year-old brand is still...

A Stab at the Online Retail Space

30 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the existence of giants like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba, there are enough nuances within the Asean market which iBuy wants to assail. See o...

Perdana University's Push Into Healthcare Education

27 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Collaborations with prestigious medical educational institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is one sma...

In the Pink of Health?

26 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The Health Minister takes on questions ranging from the “bloated” Cabinet, the ability of his party to represent ethnic Indians, as well a...

7-11 and the Business of Convenience

25 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Gary Brown, the deputy CEO of 7-11 Malaysia Holdings Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the business of convenience. The company recently...

Making Money While Doing Good (Or is it the Other Way Round?)

24 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Davies, VP for Asia, Salesforce.com, discusses its anti-Oracle-like business model as a Software as a Service (SAAS) model, cloud computing, its...

US-Malaysia Tech Crossover: A Marriage Years in the Making

23 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Winston Choe, Managing Partner, Tech Growth Ventures, the growth accelerator and funding firm, discusses its business model, target industries, areas ...

Jetstar Takes on the Turbulent Skies

19 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Barathan Pasupathi the CEO of JetStar Asia comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the current challenges facing the industry and how the company ...

Listing? No Thanks. Private (and Profitable) Will Do, Cheers

18 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Syamil Fahim Mohamed Fahim, Chief Operating Officer at Kumpulan Media Karangkraf, discusses the company ethos, its five business divisions (printing, ...

Filling the Piling Short Supply

17 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The construction sector benefits from the government's active infrastructural stance and demographic support for property. Econpile benefits from this...

Education – Is Reform Real?

16 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The National Unity Consultative Council notes that the majority of Malaysias are concerned about social mobility especially for their children and &ld...

Not All Samba

13 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Brazil won hosting rights to the World Cup in 2007 under the Presidency Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Current President Dilma Rousseff says that this wil...

Shhh... Here Comes Eupe

12 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dato' Beh Huck Lee, Managing Director, Eupe Corporation Bhd, discusses its plan to move out of its Kedah market, his read of the local property market...

Deepwater the Place in the Future

11 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ravi Kashyap, Country Manager and President of Engineering Business, Aker Solutions Malaysia  speaks to us on the Breakfast Grille as its Norwegi...

Pinewood's Business of Making Movies

10 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Lake the CEO of Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the business of making movies in Malaysia. Pinewood Isk...

I-Bhd: Means To An End

09 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I-Bhd's theme parks in were a way to attract the crowds into i-City in Shah Alam. High-valued property projects soon followed. I-Bhd is now making big...

Shaklee - Sweat Equity in a Participating Economy

06 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The strong growth in the health supplement industry is driven by higher awareness of alternative and preventive care. Shaklee uses the direct selling ...

Keeping and Growing REAL Education

05 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ee Ching Wah, Executive Director of the REAL Education Group comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the landscape of the education sector in Mala...

Not One, Not Two, But Many: A Crowd of Funds.

04 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Wales, Founder and CEO, Wales Capital, discusses the business of crowdfunding, the JOBS Act, the various schemes available, the challenges inheren...

Scomi Aiming A 18-month Turnaround

03 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Scomi Engineering Bhd's CEO Kanesan Veluppillai comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the progress of the company's monorail projects in both In...

Italy and Malaysia, Both Sunny Nations, Seek to Warm Ties

02 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

His Excellency Mario Sammartino, the Italian Ambassador to Malaysia, speaks to us on the Breakfast Grille in conjunction with the nation's Nation...

Facing Headwinds in the Rubber Glove Industry

30 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Lim Kwee Shyan, President of the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association or Margma, comes on the Breakfast Grille to discuss the current stat...

Romacorp goes Beyond Ribs and into International Markets

29 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ken Myres, president of Romacorp Inc, best known for the Tony Romas line of casual restaurants comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the challen...

From Chips to Homes, Fruits and Education

28 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Datuk Tan Say Jim, Group Managing Director and Group CEO of IRIS Corporation Bhd, discusses his core e-passport business, high trade receivables, its ...

The GLC Phenomenon: Boon or Bane?

27 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jayant Menon, Lead Economist at Asian Development Bank, discusses the ADB's role and efficacy in funding the development of poorer, developing nations...

GST Not a Full-Blown System Yet

26 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

As GST dawns upon us in about a years time, exempt list, zero-rated items and unscrupulous profiteering are on our list of concerns. Subromaniam Thola...

Casting a Wide Net for Insurance Growth

23 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The strong outlook for the Malaysian insurance landscape is supported by low penetration, bancassurance, takaful and regionalisation. Maybank is well-...

Mandarin Oriental: Building a Fan Base

22 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The Mandarin Oriental brand is well-known and respected. Richard Baker, Executive Vice President and Operations Director – Asia, talks abou...

From the Kitchen to the Mine

21 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Koh Pee Seng, Managing Director, Milux Corp, talks about his company's transition from low-margin electrical appliances into metals and mining.  ...

Ken Carves its Niche

20 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Tan, group managing director of Ken Holdings Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about its status as a boutique developer and how it plans t...

Changes Abound for Maxis

19 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Morten Lundal the new CEO of Maxis Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about how the country's largest telco is undergoing a change. Once consid...

Wish List for Teachers

16 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Have teachers become the new whipping boy for all our frustrations with our education system? What responsibility does Government bare in declining st...

The Sustainability of Tourism

14 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

We look into whether tourism's growth motive may be at odds with the quest for sustainability. David Scowsill, President and CEO of the World Tra...

Asia – Who is Getting It Right?

12 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The rise of Asia is perhaps the singular developmental and political story of our era, attracting praise and criticism, wonder and skepticism,” ...

Allianz SE Looks East

09 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Michael Heise, Chief Economist, Allianz SE speaks to us on the Breakfast Grille on the group's decision to move its regional office to Singapore...

Ukraine – Is Russia to Blame?

07 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

According to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, Russia, the US, and the UK confirmed, in recognition of Ukraine becoming party to the Treaty on the Non-...

Lazada and the online retail market

06 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Lazada is Southeast Asia's biggest online shopping mall, with operations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. We speak with Igor...

KR1M: Part Policy, Part Philanthropy

02 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia or KR1M is a project funded evenly by Mydin and the government but 100% owned and operated by Mydin. Datuk Wira Dr. Haji Ameer...

Biomass Plenty of Critical Mass

30 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Bas Melssen the National Biomass Strategy Team Leader and Executive Vice President of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) speaks to us on the Breakfast Gril...

Still an Investor's Best Friend

23 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ng Yih Chen, Executive Director of Tomei Consolidated Berhad discusses the group's financial performance and aspirations reeling from a tough year in ...

LBS Builds on Existing Assets

22 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

LBS Bina Group Bhd's managing director Datuk Seri Lim Hock San comes on the Breakfast Grille to discuss the property developer's prospects as challeng...

A Peek Into What All the Fuss is About in Iskandar

21 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive of Iskandar Regional Development Authority, discusses progress report on “developing Iskandar Malaysia int...

Contractors' Quest For Nation Building

17 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

There is a lot contractors and the government can do to make the nation a better place, some of which include removing bottlenecks and addressing gove...

Elevated Concerns Surround RM2.42b Kidex Highway

16 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Datuk Mohd Nor Idrus, CEO, Kidex Sdn Bhd, discusses the 14.9km Kinrara Damansara Skyway in terms of: the need for another highway, highway vs public t...

Canada’s Not Too Far

11 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Petronas is pumping billions of dollars into the Canadian economy through its wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, Progress Energy Canada Ltd, and Canadi...

EC Harris Charts its Growth Path

10 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Girish Ramachandran, director of strategy and transformation for built assets consultancy EC Harris. The company helps its clients to make the most fr...

Healthy Money

09 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dato' Chevy Beh comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about his family company, one of Malaysia's leading healthcare providers, BP Healthcare Group. H...

What's AEON's next Step?

08 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

AEON Co Malaysian Bhd's Executive Director Pooh Ying Loo comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the company's growth path and what to expect in t...

Colombian Coffee with a Conscience

03 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Juan Valdez was a brand set up to give fair pricing and recognition to Colombian coffee growers. It is now also the name of a coffee shop with an inte...

Carpe Diem! Malaysia's Godfather of Comedy

01 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Harith Iskander, the dubbed godfather of Malaysian comedy comes on the Breakfast Comedy Grille to tell us about his transition from burger advertising...

Building up Lonpac amid Challenging times

28 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Looi Kong Meng the CEO of Lonpac Insurance Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the landscape of the insurance industry in Malaysia, and in...

Is Inclusive Development Possible?

26 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What has Malaysia’s economic and political trajectory been since its formation? Was the May 13th incident and the suspension of Parliament a der...

Co-operation and the TPP

25 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tami Overby, the Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce for Asia comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the future of USA-Malaysia relation...

Rawang - Is the time right?

24 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Mr. Sip Mun Yee, Chief Operating Officer & Director for DA Land speaks to us about his property developments to the Northern Klang valley, specifi...

Fuji Xerox attempts to Replicate its Success

20 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Thevendran Sivanantham, General Manager, Strategy Planning & Marketing of Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific Pte Ltd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk ab...

In Shariah and In Consumer, All Guns Firing

19 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Mukhtar Hussain, Group General Manager and CEO HSBC Bank Malaysia, discusses housing sector, defaults / NPLs, household debt, bad-loan impairments, e...

Continued Urbanisation Counters Slowdown Argument

18 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick Blethon, President of South Asia Pacific , United Technologies Corp, Building & Industrial Systemsisn't worried about China's slowdown aff...

A New Start for Adventa

14 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Adventa Bhd's Chief Executive Low Chin Guan comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the company's future direction following the upliftment of its...

The Business of BPO

13 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tech Mahindra ASEAN region Vice President and Enterprise Business Head Ram Ramachandran, comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the business of B...

Calling Asia's Biggest Tech Themes

11 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Eva Au, Managing Director of International Data Corporation (IDC) Asia Pacific, discusses its core businesses of market intelligence, advisory service...

Supermax - Nitrile to Rule with Volume

10 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Glove manufacturing is one of the few industries in which Malaysia is a global leader, occupying significant market shares. Dato' Seri Stanley Thai, E...

Progress on All Fronts, Covering All Bases

07 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this 2014 interview, Peter Miller, CEO, Tune Insurance Bhd, discusses his financial results, provides a business update on his airline and general ...

Mobile Trend Will Continue to Support HDD Growth

05 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

James Wong, ED of JCY, explains how increased mobility through smart devices does not necessarily equal lower growth for hard disk drives (HDD). He al...

Helping Build Malaysia, Brick by Brick

25 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this 2014 interview, M.Prakash Chandran, CEO of Siemens Malaysia discusses its global CEO change, a reportedly deteriorating economic environment a...

Solving the Regional Taxi Woes

24 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Anthony Tan, CEO of MyTeksi explains how taxi-booking app MyTeksi fills the gap in the notorious problems with taxis. Strong growth is accompanied by ...

MARC My Word - Rating Opinion A Bedrock of Finance

21 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Mohd Razlan Mohamed, CEO of Malaysian Rating Corp elucidates the role of rating agencies especially after the bad press suffered by foreign rating age...

XOX Innovates and Rebuilds in attempt to Shake Off Negativity

20 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ng Kok Heng, the CEO of mobile operator XOX Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the prospects of the company, which is in the telecommunic...

Trip Advisor Charts its Future Path

14 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron Hung, Trip Advisor's Director of Partnerships for Asia Pacific comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the business of travel and how Trip A...

The Best Intentions, Tempered by the Biggest Challenges

12 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this 2014 interview, Dato' Redza Rafiq, Chief Executive of Northern Corridor Implementation Authority, discusses its twin mandates transforming the...

Note To Self: Quadruple Malaysia Sales, Double Global Sales .. By 2020

11 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Keith Schafer, Managing Director, Volvo Car Malaysia Sdn Bhd, discusses opportunities and challenges in the Malaysian car market, the National Auto Po...

Of Rocks and Hard Places

27 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

 A sixth generation Falkland Islander, Mike Summers, is a member of its legislature as well as representative to the Commonwealth Games Federatio...

Reform of Malaysia's Auto Sector Akin to Dancing on One Leg

13 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

M. Madani Bin Sahari, CEO of Malaysia Automotive Institute, discusses the country's third National Auto Policy, due for unveiling on Jan 20. In partic...

Adapting To Hard Times

03 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ping Fu, chief strategy officer at 3D Systems and author of the book "Bend, Not Break" talks about surviving the Cultural Revolution in China, and st...

Can Everyone Learn Now?

02 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Fernandes talks to us about the setting up of a British boarding school, Epsom College, in Malaysia. He also gives his views on the state of educ...

Best of the IPOs on the Breakfast Grille

30 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Nadia Hassan and Julian Ng take a retrospective look at the IPOs for 2013 who came on the Breakfast Grille, whether their debuts sizzled or failed to ...

Hamleys Expands Beyond Regent Street

23 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Gudjon Reynisson, the CEO of Hamleys comes on the Breakfast Grille to share about the launch of the toy retailer’s new shop in Malaysia, and the...

Filling in the Jigsaw Pieces

16 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

After the acquisition of MAAKL, Manulife continues with a growth strategy. Group CEO Mark O'Dell also gives his views on the regulatory and competitiv...

Ashoka: Orchestrating Social Change Through Instruments of Capitalism

13 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Iman Bibars is the Vice President for Ashoka: Innovators for the Public and the co-founder of ADEW (the Association for the Development and Enhance...

MB Khalid: Salaries, Assets & Management Style

12 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Despite leading the Pakatan Rakyat coalition to a thumping victory in the recently concluded General Election, the leadership of Selangor by Khalid Ib...

Tariffs and Transparency: Changing Winds in the Power Sector

11 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

My Power Corp is a special purpose vehicle set up by the government to oversee the liberalization of the power sector. Datuk Razak talks about the rec...

Auditor General – Making a Difference

09 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The Auditor-General’s Report is greeted with increasing public and media attention. Revelations of inefficiency and wastage has a rousing effect...

The Inconvenient Question of Resource Allocation

06 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Azlan Abdullah weighs up complaints about unfair trading in the steel sector with the fairness of protection for his products and from tariff hikes.Se...

My Big Stake for Your Bigger IT Pie

05 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Hitachi-Sunway's Group CEO Cheah Kok Hoong takes us through the thinking behind the JV and whether the Malayisan IT landscape is prepared for the onsl...

Toyota Sales Roadbump Buffered by Resources Strategy?

27 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In this 2013 interview, UMW Holdings Bhd President and Group CEO Datuk Syed Hisham Bin Syed Wazir discusses its dominant auto businesses and sales of ...

Case for Asean Auto Acceleration

19 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Bradley, President of Ford Asean talks to us about Ford's growth in the Asean region as well as the Asean auto competitive landscape.See omnystud...