The Breakfast Grille

Having served in the United Nations holding the position of a Senior Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, our guest today is well placed to clarify the often used but seldom interrogated notion itself. The editor of the journal "Perspectives on Terrorism”, his definition of text-book terrorism is well-known though not widely accepted with the notable exception of the Supreme Court of India which adopted it in a 2003 ruling as acts of peacetime equivalents of war crimes. Today we also ask about state violence, media complicity and the possibilities of de-radicalisation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Haida Shenny Hazri, Chief Executive Officer of Tok Bali Supply Base, talks about setting up an offshore oil & gas supply base in the depths of an energy industry slump, competition from its neighbors in Kemaman and the track record and expertise of its Kelantan royal family shareholders.She also talks about the fiscal wherewithal of the family and its foreign Le Mercier investors as well as its clients, revenue streams and business proposition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite its controversy and detractors, the GST is going to turn out to be a viable major revenue generator. And since the government has raised the inconvenient question of consumers funding the nation's coffers, is it now time to seriously explore other elephants in the room like corruption?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The haemorrhage in the ringgit and oil price would put more of a spotlight on Budget 2016. This is coming at a time when the rakyat is becoming ever more vocal about rising living expenses. We look for ideas from our expert panel about what can be done to fund these diverse needs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fitch Ratings, one of the “Big Three" credit rating agencies has maintained an A- rating for Malaysian government bonds. Ahead of the Budget Day tomorrow, we flesh out Fitch's viewpoint of our nation's financial health and ask how we can spend on much needed development while keeping ratings intact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Fostier is the Group Deputy CEO of Colas Rail. They are involved in the MRT and LRT projects of the country. They are also bidding for the High Speed Rail Project connecting KL and Singapore. Listen to the podcast to find out if they play by the same rules as other rail companies. And what the future holds for a country that invests heavily in the rail projects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Premier of China is now in the United Kingdom, having only recently visited the United States. He’s crafted his message to the global public in carefully managed public relations campaign - a generous rising world power. Back home he’s promoted his nationalist credentials with some success. But critics also point out that his self-defined image as a consensus builder is contradicted by his grab of institutional power. So is he a child of Mao Zedong or Deng Xiaoping? And can China’s economic aspirations be achieved without political and institutional reforms? The author of “Chinese Politics in the Era of Xi Jinping: Renaissance, Reform, or Retrogression?” takes off those rose-tinted glasses that many have view contemporary China. Interview conducted by Sharaad Kuttan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chew Chee Seng, the MD and CEO of Managepay Systems, discusses the need to create an aggressive cashless payment environment in Malaysia, and how it will benefit the nation in the long-run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia's film industry is at a crossroads. While there are plenty of talent and creativity around, Malaysia is in dire need of entrepreneurial and business-minded filmakers. Listen to this podcast where Dato' Kamil Othman, the Director General of FINAS, explains his efforts in making this industry not only a commercially attractive one, but highly creative as well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Logistics company Xin Hwa Holdings went for IPO recently -- at a time when not many companies would have been brave enough to do so. Chief Financial Officer, Kok Poh Fui, argues the strength of the company's business model gave them the confidence to list at such a volatile time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meor Amri Meor Ayob, CEO of Bond Pricing Agency Malaysia, explains the local bond market, the difficulty of pricing this asset class, the efforts and challenge of increasing retail participation, and the concept of implied market pricing, particularly in relation to Malaysian government bonds, which are currently being traded at significantly lower levels than its official rating .See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since Mayland's management control of Land & General back in 2007, things have been looking up for the property group. Revenues and profits have grown sharply and the strength of its balance sheet makes it timely to expand further. We ask the question of how conflicts with Mayland which engages in its own property projects are resolved and also whether they are worried about the current soft property sentiment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bitcoins have gold- and money-like characteristics. Proponents would in fact say that because bitcoin supply is limited and its mining difficult, it is better than the QE-fraught endless supply of money. However, the high computing power required to prevent bitcoins from being duplicated has pushed mining from the home to the realm of profit-seeking mining companies like Bitcoin Group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaders from over 190 nations will gather in Paris later in December to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change, aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding the real threat of global warming. H.E. Christophe Penot discusses the political will necessary for action, as well as how France is dealing with its worst migrant crisis amidst rising right-wing rhetoric in Europe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fastacash works with mobile operators and financial institutions to let users transfer 'value', be it money, airtime, coupons, through social networks and messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter, SMS, email, etc. Vince Tallent, the Chairman and CEO of Singapore-based company discusses how Fastacash is changing the way users transfer funds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Xayaraj, Co-Founder & CEO of the SGX-listed Sabana REIT, discusses the implications of managing what it claims is the world's largest listed Shariah-compliant Industrial REIT, the challenges of negotiating a master lease renewal program in the middle of trying economic times and competition from cheaper, equally connected industrial assets in nearby Muslim Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia is an underinsured and undercovered nation. U For Life is a company that tries to address this by selling cheap life insurance policies online. Coverage comes at for as little as just under RM10 a month. A high level of affordability is made possible by the sale of term insurance online which contrasts vastly with the bells and whistles of agent-driven whole life policies. We ask whether term policies will rule the insurance world soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GiveDirectly is trying to help poor people in the developing world in an unusual way: by sending them money with no strings attached. But what of the proverb 'Teach a man to fish'? Michael Faye, the co-founder and executive chairman of GiveDirectly, shares how unconditional cash transfers have been proven to alleviate poverty in the long run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

iFast Corporation, through its branding, Fundsupermart.com, has been selling unit trusts online for over 15 years. While they are big in Singapore and Hong Kong, they are striving to make further inroads into Malaysia. Listen to the podcast to find out what their plans and thoughts are on breaking through the Malaysian market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LHN Group is in the business of optimizing spaces in Singapore, the world's most densely populated country. With over 7,000 persons per square kilometer, is the market huge enough to support this extremely niche business? Listen to the podcast to find out more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Morley, VP Asia Pacific of the NYSE-listed health and fitness wearables company Fitbit, discusses Asia-Pacific growth strategy and cheap Chinese competition. He also addresses challenges like faddishness, usefulness of fitness data, intellectual property infringement, data privacy concerns and skin damage complaints.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senator Paul Low, Minister in the PM's Department is in charge of integrity and good governance. We ask him about the political funding committee and how he intends to pass this law in parliament, knowing very well that it may not serve in the best interest of some politicians. Download this podcast to find out more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 30% Club was founded in Britain, and as per its name, the group’s goal is to boost the proportion of women on boards of directors to 30 percent in coming years. Elizabeth Passey, Steering Committee member of the 30% Club, addresses that age-old question: Are quotas the best way of getting more women on boards, and keeping them there?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hartmut Mueller, Managing Director of MAN discusses if the heavy vehicle industry is an accurate gauge of Malaysia's manufacturing sector. He also weighs in on the scandal plaguing MAN's parent company, Volkswagen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Foley, president of President of Asia Pacific for global brand consulting firm Landor Associates, discusses the firm's involvement with the re-branding of Malaysia Airlines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With commission rates coming down in stockbroking PhillipCapital believes that they can rise up to the challenge of maintaining profitability. In this Breakfast Grille, we also gain insights from the founder about the Asean Common Investment Scheme platform, their unlisted status, competition with big banks and robo-advisors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No stranger to the local automotive scene, Roland Folger who steered Mercedes-Benz Malaysia to be the market leader in the luxury segment will be taking a bow as he hands over the driving wheel to his successor. Roland shares the key mile-stones of the group, as it also takes on new challenges to be more efficient and navigating weak sentiment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helmed by the grandson of Genting's founder, Lim Goh Tong, Donaco has set up in borders towns in Vietnam and Cambodia to capture business from neighbouring countries, especially China. Joey Lim also talks about how the casino business model is evolving beyond gaming into cultural, entertainment and the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) activities. We find out how Donaco is exploiting this as well as dealing with other challenges. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Sarawak to Semenajung, whatever side of the political divide they are, young Malaysians are having to decide if they want to participate actively in re-imagining our nation’s political landscape. Today we speak to three young Malaysians, who having chosen to have a voice, must now learn to use a new vocabulary and grammar for politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prudential BSN Takaful Malaysia is the market leader in family takaful, or Islamic insurance. We examine their business model, the Shariah governance on doing this business, and how they intend to use data analytics to improve their risk profile.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore-based startup, Page Advisor, wants to be the go-to app in connecting consumers to small- and medium-sized merchants. Fabian Lim shares the story of Page Advisor and how they plan to stand out amidst other startups offering similar services.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Camille Blackburn is a principal advisor to the Australian government in its Financial System Inquiry. She discusses what it takes to lay out a blueprint for the financial system for the next decade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first woman Speaker ever of any state Assembly and its youngest, DAP’s Hannah Yeoh, speaks about good governance, being a Christian and her job in improving the quality of Selangor legislature. She picked-up the baton from her predecessor Teng Chang Khim who had pushed 2 initiatives: the  Assembly Services Commission Enactment Bill 2009 and the revival of local government elections in the state. We also asked her about the recent controversies involving extraordinary payouts to the staff of the former Menteri Besar as well as the Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ericsson was one of the worlds leading mobile phone makers. Today, they lead the way in being the world's largest telecommunications and network equipment maker, beating traditional champions like Nokia and Huawei. Find out how they plan to sustain their business amidst a changing telco landscape and how they plan to introduce new technology in the 'Internet of Things' space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The electoral drubbing of the Liberal Democrats in recent UK polls suggests the decline of a party, which in the words of Lord Ashdown, is the only truly internationalist party. We speak to him about the future of global governance, violence in international relations and the rise of China. He presents us with the Liberal view of key contemporary issues.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Enra Group Berhad, previously known as Perduren Berhad, is aggresively looking to become the next company servicing the downstream of the oil and gas sector. We ask if this is the right time to enter this industry, and question how their existing business in the property sector will perform with their newly refocused attention in the gas sector. Also, we take a look at their intresting history, and see how this will guide them into building a sustainable business.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swedish automotive manufacturer of commercial vehicles, Scania, is a big name in Europe. But can it make a name for itself here in Southeast Asia? Marie Sjodin Enstrom, managing director of Scania Southeast Asia shares her plans for the Malaysian market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aemulus Holdings Berhad is a tech startup that went from being a company solely funded by founders, to being a publicly listed company on the stock exchange. Backed by popular VC firm, Teak Capital, Aemulus is in the technology sector, and has large MNC chip maker clients. Listen to this grille where we ask CEO, Ng Sang Beng, on whether this is the right time to list, and also what their expectations are with regards to utilizing the proceeds they receive from this listing exercise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Widely regarded as India's Father of IT, Narayana Murthy is the visionary founder of multi-billion dollar technology firm, Infosys. We discuss his vision for the future of the group, that is currently managed by new CEO Vishal Sikka. Mr Murthy also talks about the existing red-tape in the Indian tech ecosystem, as well as how economic and social reforms in India are essential for the nations future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hasan Azhari, the CEO of Invest Selangor, discusses the group's plans in providing a self-sustaining ecosystem & infrastructure for potential investors and how volatility has dampened sentiment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Schulte has served as an analyst, advising global banks and governments like the White House, International Trade Commission and the National Security Council on economic & policy matters. Schulte discusses his concerns of a brewing revolution in our economy in his latest book 'The Next Revolution in our Credit-Driven Economy: The Advent of Financial Technology'.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oud, Gaharu, Agarwood. We refer to them by different names, but they are all the same: the 'liquid gold' that comes from the Aquilaria tree species. While the fragrance industry can be a lucrative business to do, we explore this with Steve Watts, the Asia Pacific CEO of Asia Plantation Capital on how they do conduct their business. Other areas discussed in this interview include regulatory relationship, proprietary knowledge in maximising yield from the business, and also supply chain management and retailing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Westerman, the Managing Director for Malaysia and Asia Pacific Emerging Markets for Ford Motors, discusses the impact of GST and the weaker ringgit on sales in Malaysia. He also shares Ford's experience in penetrating the emerging markets of Asia-Pac.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xentral Methods Sdn Bhd manages e-Sentral.com, an e-bookstore. Faiz Al-Shahab, the co-founder and managing director of Xentral Methods, talks about the challenges in ensuring the sustainability of his business in Malaysia's nascent e-book industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thailand's former finance minister, Korn Chatikavanij, talks about the 'timeout' the country is currently undergoing, as the country is presently under military rule. He also talks about concrete steps on the return of democracy in Thailand, and how this will affect the Thai policy making process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Junior Cho, Chief Executive Officer of Tune Insurance was with us this morning on The Breakfast Grille, and we discussed the outlook for travel insurance in the wake of the QZ 8501 tragedy, performance of its non Malaysia business, cutting dependence on its AirAsia parent and implication of Tune's parent tube group reducing its stakeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investment guru Dr. Marc Faber built his career and amassed a fortune on anticipating the rise & fall of stock markets. His outlook for the coming years has caused many industry insiders and central bankers to second-guess themselves. Dr. Faber shares his thoughts on where global markets are headed amidst the volatility we see.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us as we speak to Fonterra Brands, the world's largest dairy producer and processor. Fonterra carries household name brands like Anmum, Anlene, Fernleaf, and Anchor butter. Learn how they work as a New Zealand based co-operative and how they navigate trying times for the dairy industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Affin Hwang Capital is the investment banking arm of Affin Holdings. They are among the largest securities firms in the nation. Have a listen to their Group Managing Director, Maimoonah Hussain, explain their strategy to win quality clients by leveraging on their relationship with Daiwa Securities and how the Hwang merger has synergised their business outlook.Also, we take a look at the recent land acquisition by Affin Holdings at TRX and how this will be the new home of Affin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd is a Khazanah unit handling theme parks like Legoland, Kidzania and Sanrio Hello Kitty Town. What are the conditions that make it acceptable for the government to invest into theme parks or even invest at all in the face of massive developmental spending needs?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.