The Breakfast Grille

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.

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.

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.

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.

His Excellency Carlos Dominguez Diaz, the Spanish Ambassador to Malaysia, breaks down Catalanonia's independence movement, latterly moving on to the improving Spanish economy, the rise of populism in Europe, what appears to be a dearth of Far-Right politics in Spain and Portugal and the wave of immigration in Europe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having made 10 acquisitions since 2012, Samsonite clearly has no intention of resting on its laurels. Satish also explains Malaysia's importance as a growth market for the world's largest luggage maker by volume.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From its beginnings as a land transport company in 1965, Xin Hwa has recently bet on e-commerce to drive its growth forward. Kok also outlines key features of the RM100 million expansion plan over the next 2 years, for the integrated logistics services provider.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Whittaker shares the growth story of New Zealand-made Whittaker’s chocolate, the country’s Most Trusted Brand ,which was established by over 120 years ago by his great grandfather. He talks about their successes in Asia, particularly in Malaysia and also their future growth plans in China and North America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Jeffrey Chew to find out how Paramount is growing two different but synergistic businesses and moving from strength to strength via acquisitions and an asset light strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There had been news that Japan's Yamato is considering taking a majority stake in Malaysian GD Express Carrier Bhd (GDex) from its 23% currently, and it wants to “position Malaysia as a strategic base". In an exclusive interview with BFM, Teong Teck Lean CEO and largest shareholder of GDex revealed that he is still very invested in the company. "For me, it is better that we have a strategic partnership. I still have a lot of passion and like to take this whole business to the region," he said. GDex signed a collaboration to look at the ASEAN market with its substantial shareholder Yamato -- Japan’s largest door-to-door delivery service company. Teong gave an update on how the collaboration is panning out and what are the targets for this partnership. Apart from Indonesia where GDex has already set up shop, Teong shared that they are also looking at Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines but pointed out that they need to ensure they find the right partner for the markets. Teong invested into the company in 2000 when GDex was loss-making. Why buy into a loss-making company that had creditors lining up for payments? And at that time, there was no sign of the e-commerce boom yet. Teong shared with us what was it about GDex that caught his eye. He also talked about intensifying competition as the e-commerce play heats up and what is the company's strategy to fend them off. Teong also spoke about GDex's next move in the midst of a tougher operating landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to newly-elected Malaysian Bar President George Varughese about the role of the Malaysian Bar in contributing to public discourse and the progress he has made on the Legal Aid Scheme. He also explains why the Malaysian Bar viewed the recent appointments of Tun Md Raus Sharif and Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin as "unprecedented and unconstitutional".See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The prevailing narrative today is that the news media is in trouble. This is fuelled by the disrupted business model, the rise of “fake news” as well as some people claiming that there are media who are no longer balanced but are used as a tool by governments or owners to their own benefit.What's a media veteran's take on that? We speak to Datuk Wong Sai Wan, Editor-in-Chief of Malay Mail, to get his views on this. He is also the COO for the media business of Ancom Bhd. Wong, over three decades of experience in hand, also shares his insights on the sector that has been disrupted. We also talk about Malay Mail -- one of the oldest printed English daily in the Klang Valley at 121 years old. During its peak, the Malaymail printed 60,000 copies in the mid-1980s. Today, the numbers are down and the paper is lossmaking.Can Malay Mail find back their glory days?Wong gets frank about this and shares his plans for the paper moving forward in the midst of a challenging landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade between Malaysia and Brazil is expected to hit a record high of US$4 billion this year. But given its political turmoil, corruption scandals and alleged violations of international trade rules, how can Latin America’s largest country shore up confidence in the global community?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato Sri Meer gives us an overview of the retail sector in Malaysia,and the upcoming 18th Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) organised and hosted by the Malaysian Retailers Associations. We also talk to him about his businesses and how Habib Group is evolving with the times.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the world's leading economists of inequality, Branko Milanovic looks at who has won and who has lost from globalisation. He discusses the now famous 'Elephant Graph' which has been called the most important chart of 2016.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bermaz Auto is the sole distributor of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia and the Philippines. It saw its latest quarterly earnings fall by over 50% amid a challenging industry landscape. We speak to CEO Dato' Sri Ben Yeoh on the company’s sales performance, the steps being taken to counter the slump and opportunities in the automotive industry, regionally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia Debt Ventures (MDV) has disbursed more than RM11 billion in financing to more than 680 technology companies since its inception in 2012. Its latest fund of RM1 billion will focus on technology-based companies that are in early stages of growth and development. This is in stark contrast to MDV’s previous funds that were catered to developed, mature and revenue-stage companies that had clear and strong credit profiles. Why venture into a riskier area? Are they not concerned if these companies do not see profits fast enough? MDV Managing Director and CEO Datuk Md Zubir Ansori Yahaya believes in thinking big rather than to focus on fast profits. He also shares his observation of the challenges in the tech start up industry and where is the funding gap here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quick Ride, a company conceptualised by Cartrade Group and Koperasi Amanah Pe-laburan Bhd (KAPB), is providing a new leasing service targeted at the fresh grads and unemployed, to leverage on the network of Uber and Proton cars. Its CEO, Mohamed Fahmi Mohamed Ilyas discusses the viability of its business model, including answering the key question of whether this is an unwelcome return to the archaic and punishing legacy leasing model that damaged the old taxi system. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ATA Plus is one of the six companies approved and licensed by the Securities Commission Malaysia to operate an Equity Crowdfunding (ECF) platform in the country. It aims to create a thriving ecosystem for socially responsible and ethical Malaysian businesses. We speak to its co-founder, Elain Lockman to better understand equity crowdfunding landscape and how she picks the right companies to invest in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the lead up to Malaysia Day on the 16th of September, we reflect on the state of the Federation, its strengths as well as some of its serious challenges. Colouring much of the national conversation is a feeling of not being treated as genuine partners in the country’s developments. From slights in popular culture - like Ola Bola - to the seeming ignorance of those from the Peninsular Malaysia, even politicians about basic historical has fed into a general unhappiness. Today we explore these feelings as well as ways to move forward and strengthen the Federation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Norwegian telco, Telenor, which has a 49% stake in Digi, has described its Malaysian operations as its 'main headache'. Murty outlines how Malaysia's largest telco by subscribers plans to stem falling revenue, total subscribers and profitability, as it contends with industry headwinds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Asia School of Business is a collaboration between Bank Negara Malaysia and MIT Sloan. Professor Charles Fine spells out how he plans to grow ASB's student body by nearly ten-fold over the next 10 to 15 years, while ultimately having this B-school counted amongst the global elite.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his latest book 'Minister of Finance Incorporated: Ownership and Control of Corporate Malaysia', Professor Edmund Terence Gomez explores the role of the Government in the Malaysian corporate sector.  He discusses the findings of his study on Government Linked Investment Companies (GLICs) and the increasing concentration of power in the office of the Executive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How are oil & gas companies coping with the extended period of lower oil prices? We speak to Olivier Blaringhem, Vice President for Asia Pacific at Subsea 7, a subsea engineering and construction services company, on their strategies to weather the uncertainty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculation is rife about when the next, and 14th, General Elections will be called. Needless to say, speculation is rife with the timing of the polls the subject of coffee shop and wedding kenduri talk. To raise the bar on a question that has both economic as well as political implications, we have an evidence based discussion on the when, whys and hows of GE14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is set to roll out a new tourism tax effective 1st September 2017 after a series of delays. It has been met with heavy criticism from various parties including The Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners (MAHO). Shaharuddin shares his concerns about potential implementation issues and broader trends in the hotel industry, including the rise of unregistered premises.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month the United Nations’s released a report which shows that Malaysia together with nine other countries accounted for over 95% of all new HIV infections in the Asia-Pacific region. Produced by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, the report is entitled “Ending AIDS: Progress Towards the 90-90 Targets”. The report shows that HIV infection via sexual transmission outpaced transmissions from intravenous drug use which used to be the main source of transmissions. Today, we explore if criminalisation of drug use and the demonisation of homosexuality are impediments to combating the disease.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Yusli Yusoff, President of the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance (MICG) and former CEO of Bursa Malaysia, discusses the local corporate governance landscape while addressing thorny issues like dual-class shares, China-based companies, directors remuneration and frontline regulation of the share market. He also discusses public sector governance and the example it leaves for the corporate sector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.