The Breakfast Grille

Russia Looks East Amid Western Isolation

31 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The latest iteration of Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept issued in 2023 highlights Asia, namely China, India, as well as Southeast Asia among its top...

Globalisation In A World Caught In Geopolitical Crisis

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we conclude the first quarter of 2024, we discuss with Manu Bhaskaran from Centennial Advisors the broad macroeconomic trends that are shaping the ...

Minor International: The Hospitality Group With Major Plans

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Minor International, a Thai multinational company, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, is involved mainly in the hotel and restaurant industries...

Liberty Insurance, Growing Their Lead In Malaysia

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

General Insurance is a competitive industry one with 19 players faced with inflationary pressure that impact cost whilst dampening demand. Puneet Pari...

Is SEDA Still The Linchpin In Sustainable Energy?

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority, better known as SEDA, was set up in 2011 to drive the renewable energy agenda of the country. More than ...

UPM: Evolving In The Pursuit Of Excellence

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Universiti Putra Malaysia is one of the country's largest public universities with a 93 year history but has this institution evolved with the times i...

Alpha IVF: Priced To Perfection?

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The WHO has reported that one in six people suffer from infertility which means that assisted reproductive services is big business. We ask soon to be...

Zantat: Unearthing The Calcium Carbonate Potential

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Zantat Holdings Bhd, a Calcium carbonate producer, will debut on the ACE market on the 27th of March. Managing director, Ivan Chan shares with us why ...

Alliance Bank Accelerating Growth Beyond SMEs

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alliance Bank, Malaysia’s smallest by asset size, launched Accelr8 2027 in January last year, a 5-year business plan to expand beyond its SME strong...

Coursera CEO On The Promise Of A.I. Tech

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Coursera is arguably the best known platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs) with over 142 million registered users worldwide and a catalogue ...

UK-Malaysia Working Towards A Modern Partnership

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

H.E. Ailsa Terry, the UK High Commissioner to Malaysia, engages in a discussion including the nuanced impact of globalisation on British politics and ...

Eastspring Aiming For Blockbuster Growth In Asia

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eastspring Investments, the asset management arm of Prudential PLC has around USD216 billion of funds under management. We ask what their strategy of ...

Duopharma Seeking To Diversify Manufacturing Domain

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysian pharmaceutical Duopharma Biotech achieved their best financial performance to date in 2022, reaching record highs for revenue and profit. Ho...

Subsidy Rationalisation, A Must Do But How?

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia spent RM80 billion on subsidies in 2023 which has led to increasing calls for rationalisation as there are unintended economic consequences ....

Agromate's IPO Plan

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fertiliser manufacturing and distributing powerhouse Agromate has recorded over 3 billion ringgit in revenue, with around 20% of Malaysia’s market s...

Is The Madani Government Investing Enough In Women?

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The United Nations tagline for International Women’s Day 2024 is “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress.” However with Malaysia’s female labour...

Unpacking Malaysia's Food Security Situation

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There have been warning signs for several months that Malaysia may face a severe shortage of local white rice by at least April this year because of u...

Leonardo: Defence Contractor Making A Mark In Malaysia's MRO Segment

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Milan-listed Leonardo SpA is the 12th largest defence contractor in the world. It has been in Malaysia since the early 2000s and in the past ten years...

Institutionalise The Best Interests Of Children In National Policy

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Children under the age of 18 make up 27% of Malaysia’s total population, accounting for over 9 million individuals, and every single one of them is ...

Paramount At The Next Stage of Growth

03 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recent results, saw Paramount Corporation Bhd's revenue surpass RM1 Billion. What then is their target for 2024 and will property still remain the mai...

CTOS Eyes Regional Expansion

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CTOS Digital Berhad's FY2023 saw its revenue rise 34% y-o-y to 261 Million whilst net income rose 65% to 118 million ringgit. CEO Erick Hamburger Barr...

Developing Malaysia-Australia Ties In An ASEAN Context

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This year marks 50 years since Australia became ASEAN's first dialogue partner and it will be celebrated with a special summit in Melbourne to expand ...

Phison's Aspirations For Malaysia

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Phison Electronics is a global leader in chip designing and manufacturing, and 1 out of every 4 Solid-state drives in the world is Phison’s.Malaysia...

What's Holding Malaysia Back As A Global Islamic Finance Hub?

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Global outstanding sukuk is approximately 850 billion US dollars at end-2023 and is expected to reach tremendous growth as shariah compliant financial...

Will The BEC 2024 Fix The Flaws Of The Bumi Agenda?

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 7th Bumiputera Economic Congress or BEC 2024 will begin on Thursday, the latest government attempt to revamp the long-running, and contentious, bu...

Israel-Palestine: Two-State Solution Obscuring One-State Reality

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The present war in Gaza is only the latest in a long history of violence in the occupied Palestinian Territories. What lessons does the past shed abou...

Hernan: Aiming For That Thorny Fruit Of Sweet Success

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia's Hernan Corporation is in the durian business, marketing and distributing its products to Australia, the US, the EU, Hong Kong and of course...

Bursa's Multi Asset Exchange Strategy Is A Long Term Play

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In FY2023, Bursa Malaysia reported a 2% rise in revenue to 616.49 million ringgit while net profit rose by 11% to 252.38 million ringgit. Datuk Muhama...

PSM: Fighting For A More Equitable Society

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Feb 20 is designated Social Justice Equality Day by the United Nations. Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, chairman of Parti Sosialis Malaysia assesses soc...

Indonesians Have Spoken; Prabowo Subianto To Be President

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Indonesians have voted in a new president and the latest exit polls indicate a high chance that former defence minister Prabowo Subianto will lead the...

Cancer Genomics: From Research Theory to Clinical Reality

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Serena Nik-Zainal has won international acclaim for her work in genomic cancer research, winning several accolades including the Josef Steiner a...

People, PwC Malaysia's Greatest Asset

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

PwC global revenues rose to a record US$53.1 billion but are their Malaysian operations showing similar growth? We ask Soo Hoo Khoon Yean, their Manag...

Karex Pivots Beyond Latex Condoms

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The global condom market is anticipating a strong growth trend in the coming years, projected to nearly double from US$8-9 billion in 2022 to US$19-23...

RTM: Refreshing A Public Broadcaster's Image

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

February 13th every year is designated World Radio Day by UNESCO to mark the importance of the medium as a free, portable and vital way to communicate...

A&M, A Niche And Different Consultant

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The business of consulting is extremely competitive with the Big 4 and investment banks in this space too. So how challenging is it for a relatively u...

Bonia, Rebranding Pays Off

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listed back in 1994, Bonia has grown its footprint to more than 555 outlets but is the challenge staying relevant to fickle consumers who have a pleth...

MEASAT, Orbiting Stratospheric Growth

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd has launched 8 satellites since 1996. COO Yau Chyong Lim clues us in on Malaysia's satellite industry, and tells us h...

Oloiya: The 龍-gevity Of Bak Kwa

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Oloiya has been serving up bak kwa or grilled meat jerky since the 1970s. This family business is now being run by the third generation of the Khue fa...

Ramifications Of Najib's Pardon

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After an information vacuum of a close to a week, Malaysians finally knew the decision of the Pardon's Board to reduce Datuk Seri Najib Razak's fine a...

Catcha Digital Continued Growth Through Acquisitions

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Digital media company Catcha Digital Bhd has been in rapid growth through various acquisitions. We ask CEO, Eric Tan how these will contribute positiv...

The KL Convention Centre: Bookings Until 2031 At Least

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre is well on its way to a convincing post-pandemic recovery, having already hosted more events that it did in 2019. I...

Swinburne Sarawak Nurturing Tomorrow's Tech Talent

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Melbourne-based Swinburne University of Technology set up its first overseas branch in Sarawak back in 2000; but what makes this campus interestin...

Will Going Digital Turn Spectacular Profits For Seni Jaya?

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As advertising turns increasingly digital, how are out-of-home (OOH) media players adapting to the changing landscape? Publicly listed Seni Jaya is in...

Malaysia's Clean Energy Ambitions Waiting On Action

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia launched its National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) to much fanfare in 2023, setting the goal of reaching 70% renewable energy  insta...

Yayasan Peneraju Enters Next Phase In Upskilling Bumiputeras

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera is an agency under the Ministry of Economy, and plays a crucial role in continuously evaluating its educati...

Time For A Property Bull Cycle In 2024?

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Property players are pointing to a better property market this year on the back of stronger sales in 2023, but is this more hype than reality, especia...

BASF-Petronas In It For The Long Haul

21 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

BASF Petronas Chemicals (BPC) has been in Malaysia for over 25 years. At its Integrated Verbund Site in Pahang, it produces products that are componen...

Time For Holistic Tax Reform In Malaysia

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

2024 will see the introduction of several new taxes like capital gains tax, luxury tax as well as the increase in the sales and service tax. We speak ...

KAF IB: All Systems Go For The Digital Bank

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To date, of the five licences for digital banks granted by Bank Negara, one has officially launched, while two others recently got the greenlight to s...

The Human Rights Watch 2024 Report: An Eye Opener

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Human rights violations took on a new level in 2023 as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Sudan civil war spilling over from the previous year, while Isra...

Malaysia Aviation Group Cruising At Profitable Levels

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has been close to 3 years since the restructuring of Malaysia Aviation Group. We ask Group Managing Director, Captain Izham Ismail on whether the g...

Farm Fresh Sweetens Growth With Ice Cream Acquisition

14 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

2023 was not the best year for Farm Fresh as margins took a hit, but is 2024 the year of recovery with lower input prices? Their Managing Director, Lo...

Ministry Of Works: Building The Nation

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Ministry of Works (KKR) is commonly known as the overseer of roads and highways, but their mandate spans all public infrastructure development. We...

Robert Walters On 2024 Recruitment Trends Of Malaysia

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Walters is a prominent name in global recruitment that set up its Malaysian presence 17 years ago. What are the trends that could impact the&nb...

Veritas Tech Leveraging On Data Security Push

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Veritas Technologies, a company involved in the enterprise data management business, may not be a familiar name but it has 91% of the Fortune 100 comp...

Korn Ferry Highlights Jobs In Demand This Year

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Organisational consulting firm, Korn Ferry has been in the business of talent for decades. Country Managing Director, Anthony Raja Devadoss shares wit...

Asean Equities, Time To Buy Those Green Shoots Of Recovery

07 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our Bi-Annual Market Outlook, we see if it's time for Asean markets to rerate after a rather tepid performance in 2023. Christopher Leow, CEO and C...

Comms Minister Fahmi Fadzil: New Function, New KPIs

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fahmi Fadzil now helms the Ministry of Communications, which has split from the Ministry of Communications & Digital. This means a new, more strea...

Master Tec, Profiting From Wires And Cable

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Master Tec Group Bhd is slated to be the first company to be listed on the ACE market in 2024. We ask this wire and cable company why the listing, the...

ICON Offshore Open To Inorganic Growth

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

ICON Offshore, one of Malaysia's largest Offshore Support Vessel Operators appears to have turned around in what remains a volatile and challenging oi...

BSN: Balancing National Service With Business Sustainability

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bank Simpanan Nasional was borne of a 1974 Act of Parliament to fulfil the social objective of savings awareness amongst the public. Today, its duties...

Best Of The Breakfast Grille 2023 - Trends And Events

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today's Best of Breakfast Grille, we revisit the significant events and prevailing trends that shaped 2023. Featured interviews include:> Semico...

Best Of The Breakfast Grille 2023 - Economy

27 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Malaysia rebuilds its economy after the Covid pandemic, the Madani government has rolled out policies, from the Budget, National Energy Transition ...

Best Of The Breakfast Grille 2023 - Companies

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The year 2023 continued to pose headwinds for businesses amid geopolitical tensions and the uncertain global economy. We round up some of the local co...

Best Of The Breakfast Grille 2023 - Politics

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2023, the Unity Government hit the ground running to set out their policy agenda amid preparations for the state elections before August. We recoun...

Japan And Malaysia's Evolving Partnership

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia and Japan relations have been on an upswing in the last months of 2023, with back-to-back high-level visits between the Prime Ministers of th...

Australia: Deepening Ties With Southeast Asia

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Australia has released a new blueprint entitled "Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040” that envisions nearly trebling bi...

Pakistan Hopes To Expand Ties With Malaysia

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Among South Asian countries, Pakistan is Malaysia's third largest trading partner, export destination and import source, with the total trade register...

ICT Zone Asia Bhd, Making Work Computing Affordable

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ICT Zone Asia Berhad is a LEAP market-listed company that rents, leases, and trades ICT solutions to private corporations. They make it affordable for...

BERSIH At Crossroads To Effect Systems Change

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bersih has been an instrumental platform in galvanising the civil society and the public to rally for electoral reform. We reflect on the past 5 years...

NIUM, Making Payments Fast And Secure

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International commerce is growing rapidly and many businesses require fast, simple and secure payment services. Singapore based remittance company NIU...

Can Malaysian-Led WIEF Gain Global Traction?

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, was set up in 2005 to build bridges through business between Muslim and non-Mu...

Is Crypto Golden Boy The Trial Of The Century?

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are now quite familiar with Sam Bankman-Fried being convicted last month on federal criminal charges for wire fraud and money laundering. What is m...

Pahang Regent On Climate Survival And Net Zero Goals

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Crown Prince and Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah has made environmental conservation and climate change the focus of his advoc...

Malaysia: Where Refugees' Rights Remain In Limbo

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia is still not a signatory to the UN’s 1951 refugee convention or the 1967 protocol. This means the 183,000 refugees and asylum seekers in th...

More Needed To Stamp Out Corruption

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In conjunction with International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9th, it is timely to have a review of the Madani government agenda in combating corr...

UEM Edgenta Leveraging On Growth Beyond Malaysia

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

UEM Edgenta achieved record revenues in 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic levels; but the performance for the first 9 months of 2023 has been less encoura...

BPAM, Tasked With Bond Pricing Discovery

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BPAM is Malaysia's sole bond pricing agency and is tasked with price discovery of what is often an opaque market as fixed income is not traded on an e...

Fibromat Set To Ride The ESG Wave

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bioengineering solutions company Fibromat Berhad hopped onto the LEAP Market in 2019, raising RM6.2 million ringgit in its IPO. With green infrastruct...

How Levi's, Founded In 1853, Navigates Today's Realities

03 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This year commemorates 150 years since Levi Strauss & Co introduced the world to the iconic 501 jeans. But what is this apparels company's staying...

Egypt Is Critical Mediator In Palestine-Israel Conflict

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Humanitarian aid for Palestinians under "Ops Ihsan" was transported via a special cargo plane through El-Arish Airport in Egypt on November 10th. The ...

Self-Service LaundryBar Minting Profit For City Coin

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Self-service laundry outlets have mushroomed in urban areas, providing users a convenient option to wash clothes regardless of the weather. City Coin ...

All Hands On Deck For Westports 2

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Negotiations over the concession agreement for Westport 2 should be finalised soon. We ask Datuk Ruben Gnanalingam, Executive Chairman and Group Manag...

Audi And Volkswagen Resilient In This Challenging Market

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Volkswagen AG have their work cut out for them marketing VWs, Audis and Porsches as affordable premium, premium and luxury cars respectively in Malays...

Atlas Copco Gears Up For AI And ESG Demands

26 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Atlas Copco, a Swedish provider of industrial tools and assembly solutions has been in Malaysia for more than 4 decades. Khalid Shaikh shares wit...

One Year Of PMX: On Politics, Principles And The Reform Agenda

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 10th Prime Minister Dato' Sri Anwar Ibrahim, also known as PMX, cobbled a motley coalition under the Madani banner and against the odds survived t...

In Defense Of Global Capitalism, Take Two

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is capitalism failing humanity? On the contrary, Johan Norberg, author of The Capitalist Manifesto argues that it is the recipe to a more sustainable ...

A One Year Review Of The Madani Economy

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week marks 1 year since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim became Prime Minister. Have the economic policies passed muster and is it easier ...

Animonsta Studios: From Animation To Merchandising

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Animonsta Studios is the birthplace of BoBoiBoy and Mechamato, a series of movies that has netted the company more than RM86 million at the box office...

Care Economy: Bringing Invisible Labour Out Of The Shadows

19 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Discussions on the care economy have risen in prominence over the past year, amid a realisation that demographic shifts in society mean the traditiona...

Growing Demand For RSPO Certification

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil is a multi-stakeholder non-profit organization that unites members from across the palm oil value chain to develop ...

LBS Bina Remains Focused On Affordable Homes

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Property and housing developer LBS Bina Group has logged an impressive share price performance this year, up by more than 20% on a year to date basis....

Hextar Technology Pivoting To Fintech

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dato' Eddie Ong, a well known name in corporate circles has now directed his focus on Hextar Technologies. We ask him why the company is shifting from...

PLYTEC's IPO Play For Construction Market Share

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Construction engineering solutions provider PLYTEC Holdings will become the 28th IPO for Bursa Malaysia this year, with a listing price of 35 sen per ...

Ordinary Malaysians Save The Day

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Malaysians despair over the state of economy, the weak Ringgit, underemployment, the polarization of society and even the lack of retirement saving...

Innovative Solutions For The Retirement Savings Gap

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As an ageing nation, Malaysia is becoming old before it becomes rich. How should we revamp the national retirement savings system to provide a better ...

Singapore Tourism Board Expansion Recipe

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Singapore is on target to hit their international tourist target of 12-14mn in 2023. We speak to Melissa Ow, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board ...

Finding Common Ground & Meaning

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

George Yeo has served 23 years in the Singapore government and headed the Health, Trade & Industry, as well as the Foreign Affairs Ministries. His...

NRECC Pushing Malaysia's Green Agenda

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Madani government has instituted several green policy measures including the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), and the Energy Efficiency ...

Roche Personalising Healthcare Pathways

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The global pharmaceutical industry experienced extraordinary profits due to the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, but how are players coping now...