The Breakfast Grille

With the Malaysian Government pushing for 20% renewable energy capacity by 2025, we speak to Yusrizal Yusof, Managing Director of TNB Renewables to uncover the initiatives to achieve this and how the residential customer can participate too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Malaysia on the cusp of Industry 4.0, building a mature digital economy has become a national priority. On the Breakfast Grille we ask Surina Shukri, CEO of the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation, about MDEC's vision, initiatives for SMEs as well as efforts to build the country's native digital talent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) released the 2019 Policy Ideas on Affordable Homes. The Malaysian property sector has been making a lot of headlines recently: from affordable housing, to the property overhang and the role of government in the industry. We speak to Carmelo Ferlito, Senior Fellow of IDEAS for more insights on the housing sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mestron Holdings manufactures steel poles such as street light poles, decorative light poles, and specialty poles. The are listing on the ACE Market on the 18th June. We speak to Gary Loon, Executive Director, Mestron Holdings details of their planned IPO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Raymond Lim, Country Head of Airbus Malaysia about its investments in the country, the relationship it has with local airlines and government policy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jean-Marc Roda gives a scientific approach to looking at whether palm oil is causing alarming deforestation. It boils down to the question of economic development and how the world population will be fed. As oil palm produces so much more edible oil per hectare than say, soy, growing other crops to feed the world's oil consumption is worse for the environment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BMW is one of two major carmakers who are synonymous with luxury here in Malaysia. But how will they adapt themselves to the changing world of mobility? We speak to BMW Malaysia CEO Harald Hoelzl about trends in electric vehicles, financing, and changing consumer behaviours in the automotive industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The European Union, despite its troubles, is often held up as an example of a successful monetary union. For his thoughts on the subject, we speak to Ashoka Mody, Author of the book 'EuroTragedy: A Drama in Nine Acts', and long-time critic of the EU, about whether a single currency might put the region at risk of a financial crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shou Ning Wong speaks to Datuk Azman Ismail, Managing Director of Plus Malaysia Berhad, to find out if the Government will nationalise tolls and if the company can ward off the competition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Islamic Relief is a worldwide Islamic faith-based charity with a presence in over 45 countries. Islamic Relief Malaysia or IRM aims to alleviate poverty and suffering. We speak to CEO, Zairulshahfuddin Zainal Abidin, on the organisation's strategic direction and management of funds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Direct online insurance purchases which strip away expensive agency commissions not only make insurance coverage a lot cheaper but can also help in fulfilling Bank Negara Malaysia's coverage ambition of 75% of the population. We check out how the life insurance industry deals with this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labuan was declared as an international offshore financial centre in the 1990s and since Pakatan Harapan took over as government, the Labuan Blueprint 2030 is being put on hold. Labuan has yet to reach its potential as a financial services hub in the region. We speak to Dato Sri Amir Hussein, Chairman of Labuan Corporation on their plans to transform the island into a successful hub in East Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Ian Shapiro, CEO of REALL, a UK charity using a unique model to solve the problem of affordable housing in Africa and Asia and whether this model can be applied in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PTPTN is RM40 billion in debt and counting. On June 13, it will be closing the public consultation and  begins the process of compiling the feedback of the people to be submitted to the cabinet., Wan Saiful seems to be leaning towards a mixed approach in dealing with debtors as opposed to the more punitive demands from sections of the public. We also try to get clues into his thinking about general policy on education funding.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A landmark in Petaling Jaya, the Hilton Hotel was once the five star hotel for travellers in Malaysia. Today, they have 11 hotels throughout Malaysia, and 40 throughout the Southeast Asian region. In conjunction with the Hilton's 100th year anniversary, we speak to Paul Hutton, Hilton's Southeast Asian Vice President for Operations to discuss its plans for the region and sentiments of the hotel industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With much focus on trains in Malaysia, we speak to  Milko Papazoff, ASEAN Representative of International Union of Railways, to know more about this mode of transport in particular the ECRL and HSR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EquitiesTracker Holdings, an equity investment research platform and training provider, made its debut on the LEAP Market in March, after nearly 20 years in the investment research business. We speak to its new CEO Alvin Vong about the company's reasons for listing, their plans to modernise, as well as challenges in the investment training industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Maria Antikainen, Principal Scientist at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland,  to find out if the circular economy model is an ideal only for rich countries or if theres the possibility of implementing it in Malaysia as well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though it houses some of the best football teams in the world, as a business, La Liga trails behind the English Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga. We speak to Oscar Mayo, International Director of La Liga, about his plans to maintain the Spanish football league's competitiveness as well as increase its visibility in the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Palm oil is an issue increasingly politicised, with talk of possible trade wars with the EU and retaliatory bans dominating headlines. But how is palm oil viewed in France, which has spearheaded the call for a phasing out of palm oil in biofuels? For this, and answers to other questions, including if France is looking to ramp up investment in Malaysia, and his views on Malaysia's human rights agenda, we speak to His Excellency, Frédéric Laplanche, the Ambassador of France to Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has codified the foreign policy framework in the hopes that this helps with dealing with superpowers like China. In essence, this is a principled policy with an economic twist. He was coy about whether the US can have a counterbalancing influence in the region but believes that an area like the South China Sea should be open and free for trade. He is glad that Singapore and Putrajaya are talking again about the Water Agreement but didn't reveal a preferred price for water sales to Singapore. Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah is optimistic about the future of race relations with the upcoming National Harmony Act and the IPCMC. He believes that foreign policy is a function of what we want at home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ali Salman, CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), and Ahmad Yazid Othman, CEO of Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Melayu (MTEM), discuss Pakatan Harapan's first year in government from the perspectives of their roles in a libertarian think tank and the Malay economic action Council.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this saturated private health care market, we speak to Wan Nadiah, CEO of Thomson Hospital, to see how they differentiate themselves from the competition whilst discussing ethics and legislation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the change in government, Malaysia scored higher on media freedom — but there’s still a long way to go. We speak to Steven about ways to institutionalise media freedom, including the Malaysiakini proposal for a media council. We also discuss ownership structure of media companies and transparency in journalism.   Also, do listen to our podcast exclusive where Steven takes on questions from the civil society and the business community, including, why did Malaysiakini cover the story on ex-PM Najib's cat?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, we speak to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Comission (MCMC) Chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak, about his career thus far, key projects including the roll out of 5G in the country, as well as MCMC's role in nationbuilding.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His Excellency Makio Miyagawa, the Ambassador of Japan, discusses his country's role in a region where China's ascendance has reached new heights. He also talks about geopolitical safety and developments in the region, Malaysia-Japan trade, foreign direct investments (FDI) and linkages as well as the state of an economy which has spent the better part of two decades in a state of economic stagflation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the food delivery scene becomes more competitive, we speak to Jakob Angele, APAC CEO, about Foodpanda's growth in the industry, response to stiff competition, and the direction of the company going forward. Listen in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederations that make up FIFA. It runs the AFC Asian Cup, the world’s second oldest continental championship. We speak to General Secretary, Dato’ Windsor John, to discuss their recent marketing deal with DDMC Fortis, and the challenges and opportunities that the Asian football body currently faces.  Dato' Windsor is slated to speak at the upcoming World Football Summit Asia in Kuala Lumpur. For more information, head to their website.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to David Hashim about what architecture means in this stage of Malaysia's development and where the narratives are formed by projects such as the Penang Transport Masterplan, Thinkcity and the High-Speed Rail.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We check in with a global company like Tata Consultancy Services where the customer satisfaction buck stops in the whole digitisation and automation bandwagon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Zainal Amanshah, CEO of InvestKL, talks about the challenge of attracting quality investments in the face of stiff regional competition, and the perceived instability of the country’s first new government in 61 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bjørn Taale Sandberg, Head of Telenor Research, addresses the opportunities and concerns surrounding new technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence in the context of health, privacy and governance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Design Thinking, is it just an empty buzzword or the next step in innovation and education? We ask Professor Weinberg about the state of the movement, the competition it faces from the big consultancies and its presence in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AmMetLife CEO, Ramzi Toubassy tells us his plans to join the ranks of Malaysia's insurance big league. We discuss the challenges of achieving the investment returns and the importance of the digital platform.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HWGG has big ambitions for seamless exchanges into and out of fiat currency, tokens and cryptocurrency. In short, they are attempting the seemingly impossible of getting around hurdles on crypto adoption. We also question whether governments will be able to keep up with technologies that will allow private citizens to escape such regulatory scrutiny.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ISEC is a medical eye care services provider based and listed in Singapore with presence here in Malaysia. We speak to CEO Dr. Wong Jun Shyan on their expansion plans in the region as well as the state of ophthalmological care in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ekuinas, the government's Private Equity Fund, turns 10. We talk to the CEO, Syed Yasir Arafat, about the performance and its relevance in the age of Super PE funds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Rosaline Chow Koo, the CEO, about their ambitious plans to become the next unicorn as well as their impact on the insurance industry as a disruptor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Grille today, we chart IBM's reinvention whilst finding out how the internet of things is the 4th industrial revolution. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U Mobile is one of the four major mobile telco service providers in Malaysia. We speak to CEO Wong Heang Tuck about U Mobile’s network migration status, as well as their IPO plans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following a lacklustre performance in GE14 and more recently, the Semenyih by-elections, Parti Sosialis Malaysia is doubling down in the run to the next general elections. We spoke to PSM President Dr. Mohd Nasir Hashim, about PSM's ideology, and its plans for the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We check up with Dato Seri Dr Mohd Azhari Yakub ,CEO of National Heart Institute of Malaysia on IJN’s story of a sustainable business model and what is a good model of helping B40 healthcareSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With new rivals cropping up in the ride-hailing sector, we catch up with Sean Goh, Country Head of Grab Malaysia, to talk about their expansion plans, driver retention strategies, and how they plan to deal with new government legislation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss how the Ministry of Primary Industries aims to balance environmental concerns and supporting export revenues.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the US sneezes, other countries get a cold. With eyes already turning forward to the 2020 Presidential elections, we speak to Roger Fisk, campaign strategist to former US President Barack Obama, for his experience over three presidential campaigns and his insight into the US's changing campaign landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato Noor Farida talks about the roadmap for retribution, reparation and rebuke for past transgressions at the Human Resources Development Fund and its future role in training Malaysians for a globalised future.She also discusses her efforts for a more moderate Malaysia in her role as a member of the G25, an informal grouping of senior Malay civil servants.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the effects of the US-China trade war being felt across the region, we turn the focus onto Penang, with its heavy reliance on the manufacturing sector. InvestPenang CEO Dato' Loo Lee Lian tells us more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paramount Group has expanded from a property player to an education provider, owning brands like KDU and REAL. They are again diversifying into new businesses, focusing their resources on property, co-working spaces and technology. We speak to Jeffrey Chew, Group CEO, Paramount Corporation Bhd to discuss their focus from education to property and other businesses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terence Loh, CEO and Co-Founder, Novena Global Lifecare Group,  tells the interesting story of Novena Global Lifecare Group growth trajectory to provide low-cost aesthetic medical care. In an age of Instagramming, are we getting too vain or is this a confidence-boosting necessity? We also discuss the company's plans to list at attractive valuations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The financial services sector faces an increasing threat of disruption, with the rise of mobile wallets, e-payment services and even changing spending patterns among a wired generation. Amex regional Vice President of Global Network Services Sanjiv Malhotra tells us more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.