The Breakfast Grille

The under 30s form two-thirds of the 3.7 million who are not registered but eligible voters in the country. Is it political apathy or is it a disenchantment with politics and the political elite? Today we ask two young politicians, who have taken the plunge, how they make sense of their respective parties as well as the attitudes of their peers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Michael Tio talks about zigging, while his larger, listed rivals are zagging, by embracing Social Media. PKT is a Facebook-compulsory company, and that's not all: he's also embracing e-commerce at a time when Jack Ma's Alibaba is steaming ahead with expansion plans in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Malay Contractors Association Malaysia (PKMM) was established to promote the interests and competitiveness of bumiputera contractors. We discuss the effectiveness of affirmative action policies in the construction industry with its Deputy Secretary-General, Dato’ Ir. Jamaludin Non.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valiram Group is a homegrown Malaysian success story; from its humble beginnings as a family enterprise in the 1930s, it has morphed into one of Southeast Asia’s leading luxury, lifestyle and travel specialist retailers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The author of “The Geneva Consensus, Making Trade Work for All” speaks to the arguments once levelled at global trade, the need to address growing populist politics in the developed world, the imperatives of policy coherence at an international level and the wisdom of addressing the losers with social policy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The public portion of Binasat's IPO was oversubscribed by 34.23 times and its debut on the ACE market today is Malaysia's first listing for 2018. Zulamran explains how the telecommunication supporting service provider is poised to overcome potential challenges as it aims to fulfill its growth potential.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Timothy Edgar is the author of the book ‘Beyond Snowden’, which he wrote to provide recommendations on how to reform US mass surveillance after the NSA leaks of 2013. As a civil liberties lawyer turned intelligence insider, we asked Tim if it's better to work from the inside to change the system, or do what Edward Snowden did -- and blow the system wide open with massive leaks of top secret documents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A unit of AJ Vaccines is investing over RM138.2 million to build Malaysia’s first vaccine manufacturing facility, even as Pharmaniaga announced similar plans. Dr. Tabassum explains the growth potential and challenges for halal vaccines in Malaysia and beyond.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia and Japan celebrated 60 years of diplomatic ties in 2017. We speak to H.E. Dr. Makio Miyagawa, Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, about Japanese domestic issues as well as diplomatic, defense and trade relations between Malaysia and Japan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Perodua has been the best-selling vehicle badge in Malaysia for over a decade. Datuk Aminar explains how the automaker is fending off multiple challenges to its dominance, including ride-sharing services, stringent hire-purchase loan approvals, and the Geely-backed Proton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We round-up the year with a look back at the political highlights of 2017, with some insights from the conversations we've had with political leaders and analysts on the show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We round-up the year with a review on key sectors of the economy. In this episode, we look back at developments in the property sector and the ongoing debate on affordable housing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We round-up the year with a review on key sectors of the economy. In this episode, we look back at the performance of the automotive industry and developments within the transport infrastructure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof Dr Zakariah Abdul Rashid the Executive Director at The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research makes a case for an independent research institute for national interests, before going on to discuss Malaysia's economic performance and what can be done to improve the country's competitiveness. He also shares MIER's advice and recommendations for the government.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Scandinavian country of  just over five million people, is an active part of the conversation on drug policy (recently decriminalising drug use), on gender equality and FM radio (it recently was the first country to shut down its entire FM network taking the country completely digital). Today we focus on Norway’s Oil Fund, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, with an estimated USD1 trillion in assets, three times its GDP. And ask why its under-performing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of recent revelations of major security breaches of personal data, many Malaysians are wondering how secure our digital infrastructure and framework is. We discuss these concerns with Dato' Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab, the CEO of Cybersecurity Malaysia and find out more about the role and responsibilities of this agency in safeguarding the country’s online landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a recent Economist Intelligence Unit index, New Zealand’s education system tops the list in terms of preparing students for the future. We dive into what sets the NZ education environment apart and the challenges it faces. We also go into how education providers are adapting to the changing demands of the global economy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 GEMS Education is the world’s biggest operator of private schools, and entered the Malaysian market in 2015 with its Penang campus, followed by its Subang campus earlier this year. Alister explains how GEMS plans to differentiate itself from the other private and international schools already here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato Seri Hamzah Zainudin addresses claims he associated the rising cost of living with 'God's will'. The minister also explains the fuel pricing mechanism, the Price Control and Anti-profiteering Act, and KR1M 2.0.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 With AUM of RM137 billion as of end-September 2017, Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) will have to more than double its fund size to fully take over the Federal Government's total pension liabilities. Dato' Wan dives into the investment strategies for Malaysia's second largest pension fund.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2018 will be the year Deleum re-engages back its plans to venture overseas, says Group Managing Director Nan Yusri Nan Rahimy. The group stopped its plans to venture out of Malaysia in 2014 because of the drop in oil prices. Nan says Deleum was in the process of assessing its positioning in other countries but it had to be put on hold in 2014 because of the drop in oil prices. "We believe that after 3 years, the new norm is here to stay.. the lower for longer environment (for oil prices) is here. We have come to terms with the new norm.. 2018 will be an area where we would like to re-engage in that process of looking into this expansion," Nan tells BFM Morning Run in an interview. He also shares that they are always seeking and looking for M&A opportunities. "In the oil and gas industry, size does matter," he points out. Deleum’s history can be traced back to the early 1980s. It was listed 10 years ago and has grown to become a niche oil and gas provider in the country with three core business segments-- power and machinery, oilfield services as well as integrated corrosion solutions. Nan also shares Deleum's expansion plans and strategies as well as the earnings visibility moving forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent establishment of the National Integrity and Good Governance Department (JITN) under the Prime Minister's Department raised questions on whether resources could have been better allocated elsewhere. Are there too many cooks in the kitchen?On the eve of International Anti-Corruption Day, we speak to JITN Director Zaiedah Mohamed Esa, to find out more about the role of the department in strengthening governmental integrity, transparency and good governance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Robots and automation replace human jobs in the future?Andrew shares with his insights on how the second machine age is going to have a greater and more positive impact on society than the industrial revolutionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony shares his insights and over 40 years of experience in discussing the complex challenges facing governments in their quest to secure their national borders, especially in light of increased immigration, the refugee crisis and the rising threat of terrorism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Established in 1910, plantation company United Malacca remains a small player in the industry and yet, its yields have surpassed many of the big players. We ask CEO Peter Benjamin what's their secret to this. He also shares his outlook on the industry and CPO prices as well as his plans for the company moving forward. Peter also spoke about diversifying into cash crops to mitigate risk from being an upstream business and the group's regional expansion plans. We also chat about United Malacca going into mechanisation and the rationale behind this strategy as well as the expected investment for it. United Malacca borrowed and expanded for the first time in FY2016. Do they expect to take on more debt moving forward? Peter also talks about dividend and yields. Listen in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don shares his insights on how technology is changing the way educators and institutions approach teaching and how profound changes in education are needed to build the digital workforce of the future. He also shares his views on the Malaysian education system and tells us what the gold standard is for countries in the fore front of education transformation in the Asia Pacific region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before TripAdvisor, Expedia or Skyscanner, there was Travelocity. Travel industry veteran Terry Jones led the team that founded the travel aggregator website Travelocity in 1996, which went on to revolutionise the online travel landscape. Terry speaks to us about the evolution of technology in the travel industry, and the use of artificial intelligence in his current project, WayBlazer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Czech Republic is at a curious crossroads. Having just elected its own billionaire business tycoon to lead the country and facing rising Euroscepticism in response to ongoing immigration debate, international commentators are closely watching the Czech Republic for its next steps. We speak to H.E. Rudolf Hykl, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Malaysia on the latest developments in the country as well as potential opportunities for growth in Malaysia-Czech bilateral relations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since starting up shop over two decades ago, Golden Eagle Retail International Group's retail assets has expanded to 31 stores in China spanning across 19 cities today. The business has certainly grown over time but in recent years, its earnings have been hit. Net profit halved to RMB400 million in FY2016 and it is much lower than the group's profits in 2012 of RMB1.2 billion. Can mall earnings ever get ever go back to their heydays prior to the digital disruption? Group’s founder and chairman of Roger Wang shares his views on this. Having been in the retail mall industry for three decades, he also talks us through the evolution of global retail shopping from the 80s up to today. In the midst of a tougher operating landscape, Roger shares insights about Golden Eagle's strategies go ride out the current turbulence faced by mall operators. He also talks about what the group is doing to stay relevant in a fast changing environment. A major global retail trend is the big shift to e-commerce. Is this current shopping trend shift cyclical or structural in nature? What will shopping be like 10 years from now? Tune in to listen to Roger's take on this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysian football has just equaled its record low ranking of 174 out of FIFA's 211 member associations. Sanjeevan explains how the governing body of world football can assist its member associations to develop its respective football programmes. He also speaks about FIFA's attempts to overcome its corrupt past, and Oceania's role in the expanded 2026 World Cup format.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group or in short (MSWG) was formed to encourage good governance amongst public listed companies with the objective of raising shareholder value over time. It was also set up to protect the minority shareholders. But just how effective are they? We ask MSWG's General Manager Lya Rahman this. We also raise the question on independence of MSWG. Lya also talks about rejuvenation of board representation and gender diversity. We also chat about the pressing corporate issues that have come up in recent years and where does Malaysia stack up in terms of minority shareholders protection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Abdul Razak Baginda is back in the public eye as the head of newly-established think-tank ICON Centre for Global Affairs. He joins us on the Breakfast Grille to talk about ICON's research and consulting work, and how he's moved forward from his previous ventures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with Women's Entrepreneurship Day on 19 November, we spoke to Vivy Yusof, the co-founder of FashionValet and The dUCk Group. In a candid interview with BFM, Vivy shares her business strategies in the midst of intensifying competition at a time when everyone wants a piece of the tempting e-commerce pie. She also shares the gameplan behind their diversification strategy and talks about their online/offline strategy. When FashionValet started in 2010, it made RM46,000 in revenue. Now, that figure has propelled to RM42 million for 2016. But from a bottomline perspective, the group has yet to ring profits. When will that "profitable" day come? Vivy reveals that they are nearing the profitable line and hope to breakeven this year. She also gets frank about the challenges of her entrepreneurial journey that has taken her to where she is today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RHL Ventures was founded on the wealth pooled together by the children of some of Malaysia's tycoons. The young venture capital fund has plans to attract outside capital and grow the firm into a leading independent investment group. Find out more as we speak to Managing Partner Raja Hamzah Abidin about funding startups in South East Asia and the challenges his young team faces.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the 2015 Pisa rankings, Finland's much-heralded academic achievements in science, maths and reading have been surpassed by Asian economies such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. While higher taxes have meant higher spending on education, Finland's unemployment rate remains above the OECD and EU average. Olli explains how Finland's education system is evolving to face future challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra Group is one of the largest dairy exporters and processors in the world. Jose tells us about Fonterra's business and how they are evolving in the changing landscape of growing consumption of dairy products but also growing competition for a share of consumers wallets. He also shares how Fonterra has contributed to Malaysia becoming one of the top 10 largest dairy exporters in the worldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

E-commerce is all the rage now and ZALORA is one of the first movers into the sector. However, since the start of the fast moving e-commerce race, some have burnt out, while others have had to turn to big backers for support. Giulio Xiloyannis shares ZALORA's strategy to survive in this capital intensive space, their game plan to build a sustainable business model, beyond simply growing market share and topline, and a timeline to profitability. He also shares his views on e-commerce moving forward and whether he foresees a time when the disruptors get disrupted.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having seen a 70% on-year decline in net income for its last fiscal year, how will Emirates weather some of toughest business conditions in its 32-year history? Andrew also speaks about Malaysia's importance to the world’s biggest long-haul airline.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Istvan talks about: -How the traditional petrol station has evolved into a convenience retail store for consumers -Shell's partnership with Ferrari and Ducati and how that impacts the performance of their fuels and lubricants -How Shell is moving to take advantage of new technologies powering cars and its acquisitions this year -Shell's focus on talent developmentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 property businesses in Malaysia and overseas. In 2015, it launched Property365 - the first real-time transactional property e-marketplace in Malaysia. From an earnings perspective, the company's net profit was hit last year falling 98% year-on-year to RM518,000 for FY2016. Cho talks about what happened and how they plan to build a sustainable income stream moving forward. He also reveals that the company is in M&A talks. "We are looking at M&A...We have been in talks in the last few months with a lot of people.. we are quite a conservative company... So we don't look at weird business models that claims to have a lot of potential.. because we have a lot of experience in the property sector so we will use that to gauge the potentials.. and if they are good, we will look at investing into them," he tells BFM in an exclusive interview. Cho says they are "scouring the market" but have yet to make a "big move". "We are talking to some but there is no definite timeline.. both parties have to agree on a common future," he notes. IFCA is sitting on cash of RM69 million as at June 30, 2017. Cho believes that while they want to grow and transform IFCA, they have to do it fundamentally well. Listen in to find out more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, ASEAN remains an attractive proposition for European investors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.