The Breakfast Grille

DIBS, RPGT, LTV... These are just some some of the alphabet soup of measures that have been unleashed on the property sector over the last two years. Property developers are feeling the pain of lower volumes and REHDA feels that some measures are too drastic. We look at how this view fits into the need to manage housing affordability and banking system prudence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The low-cost and no-frills revolution has permeated a great part of society. A revamp of the healthcare provision model not only reduces costs for patients but is ethically urgent. Columbia Asia's model however goes against conventional thinking in scale economies and we find out how they do this.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexandra Boakes Tracy, Non-Executive Chairman of the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia (ASRIA), discusses her epiphany moment, the role of Asria and the definition of socially responsible investing. She also talks about ROIs and adoption, among other challenges such as policy (un)certainty, the potential for abuse, the relative lack of disclosure and universal reporting standards among other Emerging Markets challenges, which conspire to raise investment costs. She also discusses frontier market risks and the risk of carbon bubbles forming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Wong Jun Shyan, CEO of International Specialist Eye Centre (ISEC), discusses his SGX listing, use of listing proceeds and growth plans, pipeline of qualified specialist ophthalmologists, industry drivers, medicine and equipment costs, regional growth and regulatory hurdles, the Singapore market and its single-client dependency. He also talks about CAGR and margin expectations, amongst others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tan Sri Mohd Munir Majid, joins us on the Breakfast Grille in his capacity as chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Malaysia. The ASEAN Business advisory council Malaysia, or Asean BAC, was set up with the purpose of providing private sector feedback and guidance to boost ASEAN's aims of economic integration. Next year is a pivotal year for Malaysia as it becomes the chair for ASEAN, but challenges remain so we ask him to shed some light on what it really means to be a member of the ASEAN economic community and whether soft diplomacy really works.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coursera occupies a unique space in the education sector with its online education platform enabling students worldwide to sign up for its online courses all for free. With its partnerships with top-universities, Coursera is breaking new ground of how we learn and earn a degree. Richard C. Levin shares his plans to expand its user base and if the days of attending local varsities are numbered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The coup which gripped Thailand earlier this year has had a limited impact on Minor International. Occupancy in their very high end hotels suffered but Minor is optimistic in Thailand bouncing back. Mass market staples offered by their quick service restaurants like Burger King and Swenson's were not affected by the coup. Over the longer term Minor hopes to be a conduit for Thailand's rising affluence and capture the spectrum of income points.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The digital economy is said to be the great equaliser. Companies like iMoney serve as a go-between that raises awareness for the public looking for the best deals offered by financial institutions. We look at how the expected critical analysis in financial literacy sits well with the profit-maximising motives of banks. We also talk about iMoney's regionalisation plans and the related look into funding practices in the tech world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Calling a spade, a spade,” says Nur Jazlan Mohamed when we asked him how he deals with criticism from his fellow party members on issues such as the Causeway toll hike and the Eastern Dispersal Link. As chairperson of the bi-partisan parliamentary body that is tasked with scrutinizing the Auditor-General’s report, he’s had to manage rising public expectations for thoroughness in dealing with wastage and corruption. We touch on Johor’s reliance on Singapore to make the Iskandar project become a growth engine, the role of the Johor royal house in business, 1MDB, the Felcra controversy and reform in UMNO.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Breakfast Grille is Yaw Chun Soon, executive director of Talam Transform Bhd. Formerly a prominent property developer, backed by well-known businessman Tan Sri Chan Ah Chye, Talam found itself laden with debt and dogged with a reputation for poor quality housing in the years following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.  The company has spent the better part of the past decade paring down its sandbank to pay for its loans, settling out of court with its various joint venture partners and finally changed its name to reflect its progress. We ask him what his plans are for the future, how the company intends to shake the public's negative perception of Talam and whether Tan Sri Chan still holds the reins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Arun Kumar, director of Manipal Group Malaysia, comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the group's plans to expand into the private healthcare sector. The group has already acquired a 70 bed hospital in Klang with an eye on more. India-based Manipal is already a well known name, with global alumni that includes the current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. However, both the education and private healthcare are extremely crowded arenas, so we ask how Manipal intends to stand out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amit Sevak, CEO, INTI Education Group and also CEO of Laureate Malaysia, discusses Inti's performance, the country's education sector and answers brickbats about Laureate. He also discusses in detail the private-public conundrum and the role of business in education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emmanuel Nivet, CEO of AXA Affin General Insurance, discusses the JV's performance, challenges on agency workforce and upskilling (among sales distribution system and workforce issues) and rankings. He also talks about the challenges of competing for the under-insured SME sector as well as the deregulating motor and fire sectors, which form the majority of Malaysia's insurance industry. In turn, he discusses risk management and his desire for specificity in premiums for differing classes of user. He also talks about M&A in local insurance sector and whether they are buyers or sellers. He adds insights on the firm's investment performance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raza Amin, managing director of DNV-GL oil and gas Malaysia comes on the Breakfast Grille. Although not a familiar name to those outside oil and gas, DNV -GL's business is technical assurance and advisory services, in particular related to the maritime, oil and gas, business assurance and energy industries. With national oil company Petronas spending RM300 billion in capital expansion over the next few years, we get his insight into its business and what the future holds in an environment of low oil prices.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pierre Cheyron, President, Malaysian French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, discusses Malaysia-France trade. investment, bilateral ties and relations. He also discusses France's economy as well as Malaysia's 'soft' appeal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World, and senior fellow at Cambridge University, speaks to Melisa Idris about the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. He argues the upheaval sweeping Hong Kong is more complicated than it might appear on the surface. Listen to the podcast to find out what he thinks are the underlying reasons for the protests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khailee Ng at 30 years old has become a very successful techpreneur. Looking into the modus operandi of 500 Startups offers insights into how high risks and returns are assessed. We also ask the question of whether Malaysian business ideas can stand out in a world dominated by Silicon Valley and other ecosystems in China, Japan and South Korea.Funding mobility has jumped by leaps and bounds with ideas like crowdfunding and venture capital. The startup and crowdfunding space is also opening up a promising option for a new investible asset class.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Gearing, CEO of Cult Wines, comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the business of investing in wines. While investing in wine is not new, a few wine funds globally have run into trouble. As such some of questioned it as a form of investment, but Gearing says it can still be a part of an investor's portfolio. We ask him about the risks, whether it has gained traction globally and the outlook in general of investing in wine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movenbank a US start-up, boasts itself as the world's first real-time mobile money tool allowing users to make payment from your mobile devices as well as providing instantaneous feedback to track expenditure and spending patterns. Technology futurist, Brett King shares why this model is disrupting the industry and consumer visits to physical bank outlets are numbered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Breakfast Grille this morning is John Goodwin, the Executive Vice President and CFO of the toymaker Lego Group. Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and still owned by the third and fourth generation of the family, Lego as at September had surpassed Mattel as the world's most valuable toymaker. Following the breakout success of the Lego Movie, the company seems to be riding high, but we question as to whether it is sustainable, what's next and the Shell and Greenpeace controversy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The existence of a consultancy like ETFGI is interesting as it is testament to how far ETFs (exchange-traded funds) have come. The investing world in the west have lead in the conceptual development of these low-cost market-tracking instruments. We look into where Asia and in particular Malaysia stand in this area which has proven to be highly beneficial to investors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof Gareth Evans, Co-Chairman of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect and former Foreign Minister of Australia, discusses R2P's principles and motives, responds to criticisms over its ideals, his position in the institution and the ongoing Syrian crisis (and the US' latest military incursion into the Middle East). He also answers detractors like Anthony Loewenstein and Noam Chomsky and offers a perspective on human rights abuses in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wong Heang Tuck, CEO of U-Mobile, discusses CEOs appointments and the recent high turnover rate, aggressive branding and budget for A&P. He also discusses metrics like revenue share, prepaid - postpaid ratios, subscribers, coverage, penetration and market share.He also talks about its financials, listing plans, subscriber growth targets, capex, network spend, Berjaya network synergies and network quality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government seems to have achieved the unthinkable of implementing the GST and at the same time insulating the lower income group from it. The future of milking the GST potential has to come with addressing longer term structural issues like income-earning ability, education as well as reducing leakages. We look into whether this was achieved in the budget.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this Pre-Budget 2015 Grille, Tricia Yeoh of IDEAS & Azlan Awang of Blindspot discuss fiscal consolidation, key issues like GST, subsidies, wages, disposable income, risk of capital flight, bloated civil service, the idea of Small Govt, worker competitiveness, stagnating salaries, Supplementary Budgets and meeting deficit targets. He also discusses BR1M, affordable housing, cost of living, safety nets, targeted fuel subsidy mechanisms, and household debt issues.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Sri Dr Richard Ong, Vice Chairman for the Malaysian Franchise Association comes to talk about franchising as a form of entrepreneurship. The Malaysian Franchise Association or MFA, is tasked with being a bridge between the franchise industry and the government. The MFA not only works as a resource center, but also plays a role in helping the malaysian government's aim to encourage entrepreneurship. We ask him about the landscape of the industry, the challenges and new trends going forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cheryl Yeoh, CEO, Malaysian Global Innovation and Creative Centre (MaGIC), talks about her journey from PJ to San Francisco and then into the Malaysian government. She then discusses how the collaboration -- a clash of cultures -- between the government and entrepreneurs -- might work in an ASEAN context. Yeoh also talks about the expectations of her and MaGIC's KPIs - both company and personal.She also discusses the issue of an overcrowded govt, a possible growth of a culture of entitlement, the challenge of working with 'rival' agencies and the irony of working for a govt that also attempts to shutter innovation (eg Uber).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Dr Mohd Daud Bakar is a globally renowned Shariah scholar, and currently the chairman of FIVE Shariah advisory councils, including at Bank Negara, the Securities Commission, and the ISRA Council of Scholars.In 2005, he left the academic world set up Amanie Advisors -- the first global boutique Shariah advisory house for Islamic Finance.Melisa Idris asks him about the standardization of the different interpretations of Shariah in finance and whether that hampers product innovation. Dr Daud also discusses the Sukuk market and shares his thoughts on the proposed mega Islamic bank by CIMB Group, RHB Capital and Malaysia Building SocietySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Srirangam Srirangarajan, Managing Director Asean, ALTAIR, discusses its KL operations, involvement in the Malaysian and ASEAN auto sector and group plans to triple headline sales by 2020, vis-a-vis ASEAN's contribution. He talks about doing business in Malaysia, human capital issues, transparency in procurement and tenders. He also discusses the company's business model of computer aided engineering and its contribution to costs and production timetables for its clients.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been at the forefront of research, and providing its course materials online for free. Professor Martin Schmidt, MIT's new Provost, talks about the future of research, academia and online education, and gives his views if the for-profit Minerva Project will succeed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Slavin, managing director of Estee Lauder Malaysia comes on the Breakfast to give an update on the environment of the cosmetics business. Founded in 1974, Estee Lauder is one of the most recognisable brands in the beauty business, and is the fourth largest in the world in terms of revenue. Its listed parent just reported its FY14 earnings pulling in USD10.97 billion in sales backed by its portfolio comprising 28 brands with name such Estee Lauder, La Mer and Clinique. The company is also well known campaigner for breast cancer research. We ask him about how Estee Lauder navigates the tough retail market, new competition, and whether its CSR is simply good PR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a world population set to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, the construction industry faces a major challenge in meeting the housing and infrastructure needs of the world's population, while ensuring that construction is ever more efficient and sustainable. Carlos Espina shares the latest developments of the Lafarge Group in balancing research funds to create affordable housing for the masses and its R & D strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Bauer, the managing director of franchise operations Asia for Darden International comes on the Breakfast Grill to talk about the expansion of its portfolio of brands into Asia as the company sets to open its first restaurant in KL. Best known in the US for its three main brands, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Long Horn Steakhouse, the company is not as well known outside the States. We ask him whether Darden is late to the party compared to the other well known restaurants such as Friday's and Tony Romas, how it intends to be different and what does the sale of Red Lobster by its US parent affects its international expansion plans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Breakfast Grille, Melisa Idris speaks to Nipun Mehta, founder of Service Space, an incubator for gift-economy projects. Ideologically, the Gift Economy is a way of doing business that allows the client to determine the value of the item or service. Ethically, it challenges the receiver to give back. Philosophically, it offers a worldview centered on relationship, instead of money. We ask Nipun to explain Service Space's guiding principles and how "giftivism" can shift the economic relationship between consumption and contribution.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fong Wai Leong, CEO of main market-listed PanPages Bhd comes on the Breakfast Grille to address its current loss-making state and what is next for the company. PanPages is in the business of search and advertising and IT and it is the re-seller for third party online advertisement products for famous names Google, Alibaba and Facebook. We ask Wai Leong about what is next for the company, the recently aborted buy-out of its business and what happens if the relationship with its partners collapses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philip Rao, President, Malaysian Institute of Internal Auditors and a Partner in the global accounting firm Ernst & Young, discusses the under-appreciation of the IA function, implications on costs, fees and depth of audit and the possibility of corporate fraud. He discusses the outsourced function and the pros and cons thereof. He also discusses Silver Bird Bhd, the movement to impose auditor and corporate liability as well as its underlying pros and cons. He also talks about private sector and civil service internal audit, and the challenges therein.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has been and continues to be the land of milk and honey for thousands of Malaysians for decades, accepting many as citizens. Is Malaysia's shame, Australia's pride? It is a relationship that has had its rough patches and continues to have to negotiate challenging bilateral concerns, from Lynas to the alleged spying by the Australian Signals Directorate to Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Currently the two countries also share some common security concerns over to its citizens involved in conflict in Syria and Iraq. We look at these and other issues of bilateral concern.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tan Sri Dr. Ali Hamsa, Chairman, Special Task Force to Facilitate Business, PEMUDAH and Chief Secretary to the Government, discusses public-private sector parterships, the National Blue Ocean Strategy, corruption, education standards, corruption, ease of doing business, crime, taxi services and the sale of Penang Port to Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin comes on the Breakfast Grille in his capacity as chairman of Battersea Project Holding Company Ltd to talk about what it will take for the project to be globally iconic. He gives a progress report on how he expects it to be different from other shopping districts. Tan Sri also talks about his involvement in Eco World, answers whether his previous second-in-command Datuk Voon Tin Yeow will join him, and speaks about his role in the company. We also ask about whether his leaving SP Setia has left any bitter feelings between him and PNB.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With trade blocs like TPPA and the Asean Common Market being much talked about, competitiveness and trade issues will come to the fore. Where does MICCI stand on globalisation and how do they balance domestic interests with that of multinationals which comprise the bulk of their general committee members?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The year has seen one of the most impressive economic figures for Malaysia where we have seen the economy grew  beating market expectations. But do these figures mean anything to the man on the street? In conjunction with Malaysia Day, we speak with Dr. Shankaran Nambiar to shed light on how far the company has come since independence and where it is headed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Established in 1957, INSEAD has been widely considered as one of the top business schools. Apart from its main campuses in France, it has also established presence in Asia, including Singapore and Abu Dhabi. Professor Mihov shares how education is evolving with other online education providers in the sphere as well as the relevance of an MBA in the current job market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Combining children's education into theme park elements is a unique and challenging proposition. We look into Kidzania's business model to gather insight into their strong revenue growth. Whether they are over-representing consumerism and capitalism in the educational process at the expense of other realities like environmental and societal costs is also explored.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this 2014 interview, Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO, Iclif Leadership and Governance Centre, discusses leadership in the context of the ongoing RHB-CIMB-MBSB merger and MAS' MH370 tragedy. He also discusses the twin notions of Big Not Necessarily Being Better, the Trust Deficit and what he calls Asia's cancer where Asian countries top the Hofstede Power Distance Index. He ends with an update on ICLIF's expanded role outside of financial services and in the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this 2014 interview, David Ho, Chairman and Managing Director of the pharmaceuticals firm Hovid Berhad, discusses global M&A fever in Big Pharma, offers an update on its latest quarterly earnings, its product mix, ongoing industry drivers and challenges and the importance of its ongoing R&D efforts such as its Tocotrienol drug.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georg Fischer, the CEO of Tesco Malaysia, comes on the Breakfast Grille to give his insight on the highly competitive hypermarket space and how the company intends to reinvigorate itself. To recap, the company first came into the country in 2001 as a result of a strategic alliance with Sime Darby Bhd. We ask him about his strategies, Tesco's move into home deliveries, and how it is making the best use of its space.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petronas's major capital expenditure running into the hundreds of billions is expected to bring joy to oil and gas players like Icon. We assess the issue of whether the country's perceived protectionist cabotage policy is anti-competitive and gets in the way of local companies' regional ambitions. Ekuinas's major stake also throws up interesting possibilities for Icon's future direction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NESTA which stands for the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts in the UK occupies a unique space within the ecosystem as a charity organisation that invests in new start-ups; pioneering new products and forms of technology. Dr. Benjamin Reid, who is Principal Researcher of NESTA, joins us to share how an innovation charity functions, especially when commercial returns are not its primary aims.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TalentCorp is tasked to manage the country's talent base which is needed to achieve economic transformation. However, the poor perception coming from the country's often right-wing political tack and the failure of top students to get university spots puts TalentCorp in an uneasy line of fire that appears to hamper their work. It is also a question of whether TalentCorp, which focuses on short to medium term objectives, is held hostage to longer term imperatives.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sreedhar Subramaniam, director of the ABN Media Group and CEO of Asian Broadcasting Network, comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about how the group's network has expanded since being established in 2011.ABN describes itself as Malaysia's first digital cable TV network provider, and current reports put its subscriber base at around 30,000. However, as competition gets more intense, he explains how ABN intends to find its niche.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.