The Breakfast Grille (BFM Media)

Russia is seeking to enhance trade ties with economies it considers its friends amid sanctions by the United States and its allies over what they deem as an invasion of Ukraine while Moscow insists it is still a special military operation. Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry & Trade of the Russian Federation sits down to talk about how his country has managed to overcome restrictions to how it trades and even how it moves money internationally to why BRICS might restore some balance in the world order.

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In spite of economies largely reopening in 2022, there were still many trials and tribulations for companies this year due to rising inflation, higher cost of borrowing due to the central banks raising interest rates and consumers generally tightening their belts. This had contrasting impacts on two sectors where banks generally benefited and the F&B sector did not.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Recent statistics reveal that up to 40% of graduates are underemployed. Is this structural issue that Sunway University is facing? Professor Sibrandes Poppema, President Of Sunway University tells us whilst we discuss their financial performance, international student enrollment and is AI a boon or bane to education.

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Fitch Ratings' latest Global Economic Outlook projects this year's GDP growth to come in at 2.4%, which is a 0.3 percentage point improvement from an earlier forecast, and follows a 2.9% growth for 2023. Brian Coulton, the chief economist at Fitch, talks us through how today's current challenges and upcoming events might impact the world's economies continued post-pandemic recovery.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

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Experts like Sime Darby Plantations Bhd’s Sustainability Advisor, Sir Jonathon Porritt, advocate immediate measures to halt climate change on pain of irreversible destruction of the world we live in.

As the haze chokes life (once again), we are once again reminded of the ever-looming climate tipping point, estimated by scientists to be less than a decade away.

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The solar industry has been been growing by leaps and bounds due to a raft of government policies and incentives. But it’s also extremely competitive and requires capital. We speak to Lew Shoong Kai from Northern Solar Holdings Berhad as to if going public will provide the funding it needs to grow, the competition and are their valuations fair.

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Many organisations have realised the importance and benefits of sustainability which ultimately gives it a higher survival rate. Despite many positive trends, surveys point to a low percentage of firms changing their business models to take advantage of trends in sustainability. We speak to Peter McAteer, managing director of SustainLearning on how a company can ensure a smooth transition to become a more sustainable company and how important is talent and change management.

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AirCarbon AirCarbon Exchange ("ACX") is a global exchange involving the voluntary carbon market by tokenizing carbon offsets into 3 fungible carbon asset classes. Managing Director and Co-Founder, William Pazos explains the mechanisms of carbon trading and it's leveraging on the green aspirations of countries and businesses for future growth.

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Big business wants to hire technologists while students fear debt and increasingly, seek meaningful and rewarding careers not necessarily centered on benefits, even as startup life beckons. Professor Rebecca Taylor, the CEO of University of Southampton Malaysia, fields these issues.

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Johan Merican, Director, of the National Budget Office at the Ministry of Finance, breaks down the mechanics, motivations and challenges of addressing the fiscal needs of as many as the country's stakeholders as possible.

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Previously called Tanjung Offshore, Datuk Seri Dr. Nik Norzrul Thani Bin N. Hassan Thani, Chairman of T7 Global comes on the Breakfast Grille to share the performance of their oil & gas services business and the progress and expansion they have taken in the aerospace sector.

Image credit: T7 Global Berhad

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In conjunction with International Women’s Day, we take a look at progress that’s been made, policies that are needed and concerns going forward with regards to getting more women into and staying in the workforce in Malaysia.

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The Malaysian equity market has recovered from March low's while the broader economy has weakened with rising unemployment and weaker consumption. So why the disconnect? To find out, we speak to Patrick Chang, CIO for Asean Equities, Principal Asset Management & Alexander Chia, Head of Regional Equity Research, RHB Investment Bank. We also take a hard look if there are still gems to be found or has all the easy money been made?

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On the Breakfast Grille today, we ask Dr. Bridget Welsh, Honorary Research Associate, Nottingham University Malaysia and Jahabar Sadiq, Editor-in-Chief, The Malaysian Insight to share their thoughts. What does this mean for the country moving forward? Who will take over and how will this change the Malaysian political landscape in the years to come?

Is this Anwar's race to lose? And are there only two choices: collab or collapse?

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The most intensive oil and gas activity in Malaysia is presently carried out in Johor, where major oil storage, trading, bunkering, warehousing and manufacturing projects are located. Acting CEO of Johor Petroleum Development Corp, Izhar Ismail tells us how they plan to turn Johor into a regional Oil and Gas hub.

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Why are jobs that require high academic qualifications prized over technical vocations, despite the latter being no less meaningful or important? Will the Covid-19 pandemic spur broader debate on the value of work, amid broader recognition of essential workers’ contribution to the economy? We discuss these themes with David Goodhart, author of the book “Head, Hand and Heart: The Struggle for Dignity and Status in the 21st Century.”

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

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Life Water Berhad, a bottled water and beverages producer homegrown in Sabah made its debut on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia last month with an IPO price of 65 sen per share. What does Life Water intend to do with the RM63.4 million ringgit proceeds from its listing? We speak to Liaw Hen Kong, Managing Director of Life Water Berhad to find out.

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The cabinet has delayed the Anti Hopping Law but is this critical for a democracy like Malaysia? Datuk Seri Azalina Othman, Former Deputy Speaker of Dewan Rakyat and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for Law and Human Rights, tells us why whilst diving into the MOU between the government and the opposition. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The Perikatan Nasional govt's unprecedented ouster in July of the Speaker of the House of Representatives - the Dewan Rakyat - took Malaysia and the world by surprise.

Six weeks after the act, Tan Sri Mohammad Ariff Md Yusof, who presided over the House's debates, determining which members may speak and which amendments are selected for consideration, finally took some time to share his thoughts about the ouster, the state of Parliamentary and electoral reform in Malaysia, and the future of the nation.

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CrowdStrike is a well-known name in the endpoint cybersecurity sector. As worldwide spending on security and risk management technology is expected to increase in the years ahead, we ask Jagdish Mahapatra, Asia Managing Director of CrowdStrike on what trends we can observe in Asia, how Malaysia fares in terms of implementing endpoint protection systems, and how the pandemic has driven interest in digital transformation and cybersecurity.

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Following a fiercely contested election and the harrowing protests at Capitol Hill this month, what will be the legacy of the Trump administration? We catch up with US Ambassador Kamala Lakhdir as she ends her tour in Malaysia for her thoughts on the future of American democracy, and Malaysia-US bilateral ties.

Image Credit: US Embassy KL

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Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist at US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us that for the moment, there is no requirement to change asset allocations yet despite the recent heighten geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. He however notes that Phase 1 of a trade deal between US-China is in the price but Phase 2 may be a long way off. So better value may be found in Europe and Japan for the moment

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We speak to Loi Tuan Ee, managing director and founder of Holstein Milk Company, Malaysia's largest dairy producer, about his future expansion plans, the current challenges operating a dairy farm in a tropical climate and how they embed sustainability in their day to day operations.

Image credit: Holstein Milk Company

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Human rights violations took on a new level in 2023 as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Sudan civil war spilling over from the previous year, while Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip following the Hamas attack on October 7th, made things worse. Tirana Hassan, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, talks about the challenges the New York-based NGO experienced in their work documenting human rights violations worldwide.

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Appsflyer is a mobile advertising analytics platform which made over 100 million dollars in revenue last year. Just as digital advertising has grown rapidly both in Asia and abroad, so have concerns around ad fraud and whether marketers are getting what they pay for. Roshan Kanesan speaks to Ronen about this, their business model and more.

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Founded in 1968, Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia advocates for a non-racial, secular, and socially just Malaysia. Once a dominant force, particularly in Penang, the party lost all its parliamentary seats in the 2018 elections and subsequently left Barisan Nasional after more than five decades with the coalition. Datuk Dr. Dominic Lau, the National President tells us about Gerakan’s current influence and why they are part of Perikatan Nasional.

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The latest unemployment figure for Malaysian youth aged 15 - 24 years old stood at 12.5%, far higher than the national unemployment rate of 3.9%. Are we doing enough to ensure that youths are equipped with skills and opportunities to navigate a changing economic landscape? We discuss trends in youth employment with our panel on World Youth Skills Day.

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The government is expecting tourism to contribute as much as 12% towards GDP eventually but is this achievable and what is the roadmap? We speak to Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture to find out, and if it's time for a relook at the government framework which some say is too unwieldy. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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Zantat Holdings Bhd, a Calcium carbonate producer, will debut on the ACE market on the 27th of March. Managing director, Ivan Chan shares with us why they are going for a listing 39 years after it was founded, what they are doing to minimise the damage to the environment and the uses of its product.

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We ask Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq whether throwing money at giving youth jobs is a panacea for the unemployment problem and indeed for the country’s other woes. The Youth Chief of Bersatu also sheds light on how the party’s racial agenda squares off with aspirations for racial equality.

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Founded more than 150 years ago in Canada, Sun Life provides life insurance, health insurance, investments, and financial planning services. Global president and CEO, Kevin Strain shares with us their financial performance and expansion plans in the region.

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Is the heyday of IBM behind them, with the likes of Microsoft, Google and Amazon grabbing more headlines these days in the fields of cloud service, machine learning and artificial intelligence ? Or is the giant finally awakening?

We speak with Catherine Lian, Managing Director, IBM Malaysia to find out how IBM plans to respond to the competition, talent management, and accelerating growth.

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The Madani government has instituted several green policy measures including the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill. Minister for the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad joins us to explain the rationale for these decisions and other policy measures in the pipeline and how they are prioritized versus business interest.

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A century old business has changed its name from Philips Lighting to Signify as the company changes strategy to stay relevant in the age of LED lights. Alok Ghose, the Asean CEO tells us how important this market is to Signify's global operations and how they intend to win market share despite cheaper lights from China. He also explains the evolution of lights and how it is now the latest way to communicate.

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It's all hands on deck for the Southeast Asian superapp as its core ride-hailing product struggles to deal with a mammoth drop in orders due to movement restriction orders. Ditto its food merchants, as deliveries become its main revenue. Sean Goh, Grab's Malaysia Country Manager, explains.

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Pemerkasa Plus, valued at RM40 billion, is the latest government stimulus to help Malaysians deal with the pandemic.

But a year and a half since Covid's appearance, critics still question the efficacy, governance, and affordability of Pemerkasa and the six other financial stimulus packages thus far unveiled, worth a total RM380 billion.

National Budget Director Datuk Johan Merican discusses.

Image Credit: Ekaterina Kapralova | Shutterstock.com

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Swift Haulage Berhad is slated for listing on Bursa Malaysia on 21 December. Will this much anticipated IPO be a success despite its rather lofty valuations? We speak to Loo Yong Hui, Group CEO about their growth plans and can they maintain margins despite inflationary pressures.

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Andrew Woon, Managing Director of Faber-Castell Malaysia, talks about how the the 260-year-old German stationery company is navigating the digital era and the production intricacies of its 43-year-old Subang plan, which exports all over the world.

Image credit: Faber-Castell

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In August last year, Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif was appointed as Kuala Lumpur’s first female mayor. After serving in the role for almost five months, we speak with her to discuss her achievements so far and areas for improvement moving forward as she contends with the challenges of getting the basics right as well as transforming Kuala Lumpur into a global gateway into Malaysia.

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Pre-pandemic, supply chains were invisible - but the disruptions over the past two years have put these mysterious networks into the spotlight. We discuss how supply chains have been impacted by the three Cs - Covid-19, conflict and climate change - as well as how businesses need to adapt to the challenges with Associate Professor Dr. Shardul Phadnis of the Asia School of Business.

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With Covid-19 casting a dark shadow on the economy with rising unemployment and slowing growth, much is riding on this expansionary Budget. But what should the government focus on considering the narrow fiscal space, and how do we ensure growth and prosperity for all?

Dr Muhammad Khalid, chief economist at DM Analytics, and Richard Record, lead economist of the World Bank, weigh in on this.

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As Malaysia's vaccination program rolls steadily onwards, volunteers are on the frontlines helping to register people for vaccination, and also assist the administration process at the vaccination centers. But what needs to be done to help volunteers in their selfless duty? How can the government and other organizations encourage and protect our volunteers? On the Breakfast Grille, we speak to Subang Jaya ADUN, YB Michelle Ng, and Mercy Malaysia General Manager of Operations Said Alhudzari about their experience coordinating the volunteer efforts against the pandemic.

Image credit: Ahmad Yusni / EPA-EFE

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The MRT3 Circle Line will have 31 stations, with 40km of elevated tracks and 11km of underground tunnels that stretch into a circular alignment along the perimeter of Kuala Lumpur. But with a cost of close to 40 billion ringgit, is this what Malaysia truly needs? Hamdan Abdul Majeed from Think City, and Aziff Azuddin from Citymapper shares their thoughts. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim took office on 24 November 2022 on a platform of sweeping reforms to strengthen Malaysia’s institutions. 20 months later, his unity government has been described as “the most dictatorial that the country has ever had”, according to prominent lawyer Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan. What prompted this drastic change in sentiment towards the reformist government and is this a fair charge? We discuss the reform agenda versus actions of the Madani government with the former President of the Malaysian Bar and former Chairperson of Bersih.

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Minor International, a Thai multinational company, listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, is involved mainly in the hotel and restaurant industries in over 50 countries. In Malaysia, it runs the Anantara Desaru and the Avani Goldcoast Resort Sepang. Its CEO Dillip Rajakarier talks about the plans to have 780 hotels and 3,700 restaurants by 2026.

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Lagenda Properties is a relatively newcomer in the property business, but it has morphed into a developer with a niche in affordable landed housing, catering to the B40 and M40 income households. Its flagship project is in Setiawan, Perak but it has ventured into other states in an attempt to replicate this success by launching products below RM250,000. Will lady luck still shine when it spreads its wings beyond Perak? We discuss this with Dato Jimmy Doh, Managing Director at Lagenda Properties.

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Eastspring Investments, the asset management arm of Prudential PLC has around USD216 billion of funds under management. We ask what their strategy of growth is in a very crowded market, all targeting the growing wealthy households in Asia.  CEO, Bill Maldonado tells us whilst weighing in on the investment outlook for the firm.

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International commerce is growing rapidly and many businesses require fast, simple and secure payment services. Singapore based remittance company NIUM solves this issue by providing real time payment transfers in the B2B space. Anwar Mahbob speaks with Anupam Pahuja, its Executive Vice President and General Manager of APAC, Middle East and Africa as the company faces razor-thin margins, tighter regulation and changing consumer preferences.

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Billionaire owners, rising Americanisation, and the rise and fall of European Super League; Roshan Kanesan speaks to football financial analyst Kieran Maguire about the state of the English Premier League and how money has changed it.

Kieran Maguire is a football financial analyst, author of the Price of Football, and Professor of Football Financial Analysis at the University of Liverpool.

Image credit: charnsitr - Shutterstock.com

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The shifting political landscape since 2018 has meant that the dynamics in Parliament have changed - to what extent are the present rules and conventions in keeping with this new reality? Do the current electoral laws allow for the maximum public participation? We discuss priority reforms for parliament and elections to strengthen Malaysian democracy with our expert panel.

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Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, global trade was already fragmenting courtesy of the US-China trade war.

Businesses were struggling with unpredictable tariffs and market volatility, and now contend with a pandemic that has forced countries to lockdown, ban travel, shut down manufacturing and is said to have caused the biggest drop in consumer demand since the second World War.

So how will a post Covid-19 world look for global trade and the global supply chain? Roshan Kanesan discusses with Alexander Capri.

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Ukraine has been in the midst of war after Russia invaded its western neighbour nearly 1,000 days ago, and now controls around 18% of that country. Today, Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Trade & Agriculture, Taras Kachka, who is on a mission around the world to drum up more trade, shares about the ongoing challenges and whether or not there is still potential for more bilateral trade with his country.

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Semiconductor player Mi Technovation is on a high-growth path, and its solutions can already support wafer sizes of 7nm and below, versus the current norm of 14nm. Would it still maintain its head office in Malaysia, or shift to China or Taiwan to be closer to its customers and access more engineering talent? And as companies like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon move into chip designing and as the US-China trade war continues, how might the semiconductor industry respond? Oh Kuang Eng, the group CEO, discusses these issues.

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With hardly any planes flying, borders closed and most countries in some form of a lockdown, we speak to Yap Lip Seng, CEO of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) and Nigel Wong, Honorary Secretary General for Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) to find out how badly their sector has been affected. We also take a deeper dive on whether the government is providing adequate support for this important contributor to the economy whilst asking if travel is possible at this time.

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Anthony Scaramucci, founder of the American hedge fund SkyBridge Capital and ex-Communications Director to US President Donald Trump, discusses his 11-day tenure in the West Wing, while dissecting the Trump persona. He also talks about the botched takeover of Skybridge by China's HNA Group and Asian private equity dealflow.

The Malaysian Private Equity Forum 2019 is happening on 1st October 2019. For more information, head to www.malaysianpeforum.com.

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Islamic finance has grown in leaps and bounds in the last few years to reach US2 trillion dollars worth of assets, still small change in today's global financial markets. So we talk to Bashar Al Natoor, the Global Head of Islamic Finance at Fitch Ratings to find out what are the reasons why its still niche. We also ask him about Malaysia's role in Islamic finance especially in Sukuk since we already have 50% market share and how can we evolve to be a global hub.

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For the property market, 2019 was a challenging one. But in this new decade, have things taken a turn? Or will property sales still be slow? We speak to Alex Yeow, the Group CEO of listed property developer Tropicana Corporation Berhad to find out how sales have been, what are the property launches in the pipeline and why are they back in the retail mall business.

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YTL Communications was the first major telco to launch 5G services in Malaysia. But the rollout of 5G in Malaysia hasn't been smooth sailing. We ask CEO, Wing K. Lee, whether their stake in Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) will be worth the money, and when will we see a profit?

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Zuellig Pharma is the largest vaccine distributor in Malaysia and Asia. With Malaysia ramping up the vaccine rollout, what role does Zuellig play, and are private-public partnerships the solution to achieving herd immunity? We speak to Louis-Georges Lassonnery, Chief Executive of Zuellig Pharma Malaysia and Brunei to find out whilst diving into the the business model.

Image Credit: Zuellig Pharma

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Bank Simpanan Nasional was borne of a 1974 Act of Parliament to fulfil the social objective of savings awareness amongst the public. Today, its duties include fulfilling the financial needs of the underserved, unserved and unbanked. BSN is also the sole distributor of government aide to the rakyat. Its CEO Jay Khairil talks to us about how it manages to balance its dual duty of serving the nation and ensuring it remains financially viable. 

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The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales has appointed Alan Vallance as its new Chief Executive. He joins us to discuss his vision for leading the largest professional accountancy body in Europe. This discussion will also explore the role of artificial intelligence in accounting and the declining interest among young people in pursuing the profession.

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Since the Perikatan Nasional government came to power, there have been questions of whether the coalition will be able to remain together until the next General Election. One voice which has been raised to highlight what a coalition government should do, belongs to Dato' Seri Azalina Othman Said, UMNO Supreme Council Member, MP for Pengerang, and former Law Minister. We speak to her on her thoughts about successful coalition governments, the cohesion of Perikatan Nasional, as well as her views on what priorities should be for the new Women's Ministry.

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Should the government be the employer of last resort, in good times and in bad? Roshan Kanesan explores this with Associate Professor of Economics at Bard College, Pavlina Tcherneva.

Even in the best of times, there is unemployment and needless to say, 2020 is not the best of times. Jobs have become an even bigger concern as Covid-19 wreaks havoc on the global economy. That said, employment was a focus in the US even before the pandemic took hold, with many pointing the finger at globalisation and technological advancements for jobs lost.

Is a federal backstop for jobs the answer?

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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RHL Ventures, the venture capitalist company that was founded by 3 young founders of illustrious families in 2016, have ambitious plans to triple its assets in 5 years. Its Managing Partner, Raja Hamzah Abidin, tells us how they plan to achieve this goal and also on how the pandemic has impacted deal flows.

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AC Ventures is a leading Southeast Asian venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups focused on Indonesia and ASEAN. We ask Ng Yi Chung, partner at AC Ventures Malaysia on the landscape of venture capital in Malaysia, and is tech still the darling?

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The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC was born at a time when globalisation and free trade were fully embraced, but the conventional wisdom has changed since then. What does this then mean for APEC’s role and approach as an interlocutor platform for its 21 member economies, including Malaysia? We discuss trends in global trade with Tan Sri Dr. Rebecca Sta. Maria of the APEC Secretariat.

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Mah Sing Group is diversifying into the rubber gloves business and expects their first six production lines to be operational in the second quarter of 2021. But is Mah Sing too late to the game or will they be able to compete against the current incumbents like Top Glove and Supermax? Beyond that, as the property market recovers, what are Mah Sing's plans for future property development and launches, as well as land banking? We speak to CEO Datuk Ho Hon Sang to find out.

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NetApp Inc. is a California-based hybrid cloud data services and data management company with clients ranging from global animation studio DreamWorks and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati.We speak to Azrin Abd Shukor, Country Manager of Malaysia & Brunei, NetApp, on NetApp's presence in the region as well as how big data is transforming the business world.

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A year after Covid scuppered plans for an IPO, bubble tea chain Loob Holding now counts the private equity firm Creador as a shareholder, after it sold a 30% stake for an undisclosed value.

Bryan Loo, CEO and founder of Loob Holding, talks about what Creador's entry means for growth in Malaysia and the region.

Image Credit: Loob Holding

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Generali Malaysia has completed its acquisition of a controlling majority in AXA-Affin joint ventures in Malaysia and is the second largest general insurer in the nation. Fabrice Benard, the Country CEO of Generali Malaysia and CEO of Generali Insurance Malaysia Berhad shares with us the timeline for business integration, how will insurance penetration rate be improved and competition in the industry.

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Imagine a theme park for children that helps them in their journey in deciding what profession they want to be in when they grow up whilst also learning some of the hard lessons of life including the value of a dollar and also how the economy works. To find about this place where children can pretend to be adults for a day, we speak to Shahrul Nizar Ahmad, General Manager & Mayor of KidZania Kuala Lumpur.

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Bespoke luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd saw production slump in 2020 due to a disrupted global supply chain though sales and prices have stayed resilient, according to its Regional Director of APAC, Paul Harris.

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Malaysia is home to one of the most biodiverse ecological environments, widely recognized for the richness of flora and fauna species with whom we share the land. In recognition of the value of our natural heritage, the government has reaffirmed a pledge to maintain 50% forest cover as part of efforts to conserve the environment - but how genuine is our commitment to preserve the forest? On World Wildlife Day, we discuss with our expert panel on what we stand to lose by unchecked development and policy measures that should be considered to preserve biodiversity. Image Credit: Sabrina Hermann/Shutterstock.com 

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GDEX Berhad is now confident of returning to the black after recording 6 consecutive quarters of losses. Its CEO Teong Teck Lean shares with us how this Bursa-listed delivery firm is navigating the challenging logistics industry with more and more players emerging and as costs continue to rise.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The past year has seen a seismic shift in the political landscape in Europe, with far-right groups and ideologies gaining momentum across the continent, including in France. Is the French principle of laicite a bulwark or a vulnerability in the face of the far-right movement? We get a better understanding of the concept and how it's implemented with Ambassador Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, Counselor for Religious Affairs at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

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The listing of four urban highways via a business trust was a first for Malaysia. We speak to Dato' Mohd Azlan Abdullah, Group CEO, PROLINTAS Group of Companies for why they opted to take that route to a listing, whether the distributable income is sustainable and will upside come from the eventual injection of their other two highway assets.

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Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) company Invest Energy Group wants to invest RM2.2 billion in the region over the next 5-7years in renewable energy projects, aiming to reach a generating capacity of up to 750MW. What's the plan to achieve this and where is this funding coming from?

Also, with data centres increasing looking to renewable energy, will Invest Energy be looking for opportunities with Microsoft as they plan to build a data centre region in Malaysia?

Roshan Kanesan dives into this and more on The Breakfast Grille.

Image Credit: Invest Energy

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Recent government stimulus packages have thrown a lifeline to a car industry hit hard by the implementation of the Movement Control Order in March. While Total Industry Volumes seem to have recovered since the disastrous 141 total vehilce units sold in April, it's still a long road ahead for many automotive players. So to help us get a sense of what's in store for Bermaz Auto in particular, we speak to its CEO, Dato' Francis Lee, about the impact of government stimulus, their cashflow, and their aims for the future.

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Back in 2019, the federal government said it was aiming to achieve 40% of public transportation usage within the next 10 years, from the 20% it was at the time. Can Malaysia realistically hit that target and are we doing enough to develop public transport in the country? Roshan Kanesan breaks this down with Dato Ridza Abdoh Salleh, Prasarana's first CEO and was involved with the LRT project during its inception back in 1997, and Dr. Rosli Khan, a transportation expert with over 30 years in the transport industry.

Background image credit: Abdul Razak Latif / Shutterstock.com

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Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made his maiden visit to Brazil where he reiterated that Malaysia would like to join BRICS. We speak to His Excellency Ary Norton De Murat Quintella, Brazilian Ambassador to Malaysia about the chances of that materialising, the new global world order with Trump 2.0 and the possibility of Malaysia having an FTA with Brazil to improve trade.

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France and the US are butting heads over a 3% digital tax on big tech companies, which President Trump says targets American firms. We sit down with Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the Minister of State for Innovation, Industry 4.0 and Trade to clarify the French position on the digital tax and 5G technology, as well as discuss France's efforts to respond to IR 4.0 amid trying economic times.

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What exactly will that future look like, and how will society need to adapt alongside these changes?Martin Ford is a Futurist & Author, “Architects of Intelligence: The Truth about AI from the People Building It”  and has written several other thought provoking books on Artificial intelligence.

We speak to Martin about how the future with AI looks like and the changes it will bring to all aspects of our lives — from businesses and jobs to art and culture

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It has been more than 1 year since the floods that affected eight states across the peninsula, and left 55 dead. The Disaster Risk Reduction Team from the Netherlands shares expertise with governments in order to find the best possible solution to tackle urgent water issues. Marco Hartman and his team recently submitted the final flood mitigation report to the Ministry of Environment and Water and shares with us the urgent steps needed.

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Founded in Penang in 2012, Bon Estates has come a long way and rebranded itself to target high end luxury consumers in Kuala Lumpur with a handful of projects under its belt. We speak to CEO Chan Jin-Wy on the boutique developer's business performance, how the economic slowdown is impacting sales and future projects for Bon Estates.

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SAP is a market leader in Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, originating in Germany. Now, with industry 4.0 on the horizon and more and more companies turning to the cloud as a means of storing data, we speak to Hong Kok Cheong, Managing Director of SAP Malaysia on the Breakfast Grille, for his take on the ERP landscape in the country.

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Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, talks to us about whether implementing price controls at the height of the pandemic earlier this year worked in addressing concerns such as shortages on essentials and food security. He also explains why the increase in his ministry’s operating budget to boost various subsidies and programmes is justified. He elaborates on Sarawak’s relationship with the Perikatan Nasional government, and hopes gentlemanly manners will see the state’s rights fulfilled eventually.

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Social media has become more than just a place to connect with friends, family and colleagues - it has also become a bustling space for commerce. What is the landscape of Malaysian social commerce and does the industry need regulation to curb predatory practices? We discuss these issues with our panel.

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After two years devoid of international tourism, Malaysia fully reopened its borders this month to much fanfare. Has the pandemic provided an opportunity for Tourism Malaysia to reset and restart its promotional activities in a major way? We discuss the outlook and targets for Malaysian tourism this year with Dato' Hj. Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director General of Tourism Malaysia.

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Automotive cover and seat manufacturer Feytech Holdings is set to debut on Bursa Malaysia’s Main Market today. CEO Connie Go discusses the objectives behind the IPO, the strategies that drove their impressive three-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39% in revenue, and the measures they take to mitigate risks of margin compression.

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The Singapore Exchange-listed Centurion Corporation is in the business of owning, developing and managing purpose-built workers' accommodation as well as students' accommodation assets in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the UK as well as the US. Its CEO Kong Chee Min talks about the company's plans to expand in Malaysia where it already owns several assets in Johor, a state that is set to be a main focus with the Singapore-Johor Special Economic Zone set to take centre-stage.

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Jahabar Sadiq of The Malaysian Insight and Karim Raslan of the KRA Group discuss the events behind PM Tun Dr Mahathir's resignation and what lies in store for the country in terms of its political and economic landscape.

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1MDB is undeniably the largest financial scandal in Malaysia’s history. Malaysian journalist Leslie Lopez has released his first book, The Siege Within, which reveals previously unpublished material from his own archives related to the embezzlement of 1MDB funds. The book explores the roles of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and fugitive financier Jho Low in this political crime. We speak with Leslie about his journey in covering this story.

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Steel Hawk Bhd is the first company to undergo a listing transfer from Bursa Malaysia’s LEAP to the ACE Market under the new market transfer framework. Shares of this oil and gas services firm doubled on their ACE market trading debut. We speak to Dato' Sharman Kristy Michael, Founder & Executive Director, Steel Hawk Berhad for their growth strategy, the use of the IPO proceeds and whether is there still an upside to the share price.

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Earlier this month, a mass protest movement led by the youth of Bangladesh ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling party the Awami League after 15 years in power. What are the hopes of and challenges for the nation of a 170 million people following a tumultuous summer? We discuss the future of Bangladesh with its High Commissioner to Malaysia, H.E. Md. Shameem Ahsan.

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3REN Bhd is a soon-to-be-listed automation solutions and engineering services provider, primarily focusing on the semiconductor, electronics, and manufacturing sectors. Koh Dim Kuan, its executive director and CEO, shares the company's future plans following its listing to raise some RM31 million to expand its operations and to enhance its R&D capabilities.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

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Affordable homes have been the only bright sparks in a moribund property sector, but new growth opportunities can and must be unearthed, possibly in the ports management and tourism sector, according to Tan Sri Lim Hock San, Executive Chairman of LBS Bina.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The 26 year relationship between Brahim's Food Services and Malaysia Aviation Group will come to an end this month, and the airlines will only have 24 days to find alternative suppliers to fulfil the 20,000 meals per day required for its in-flight services starting 1 July. We speak with Shukor Yusof, Founder and Primary Analyst of Endau Analytics to find out what’s the backstory to this and also MAG’s strategy for growth after what appears to be a successful turnaround.

Image by: Shutterstock

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• As our country works in overdrive to attract foreign direct investments, this time, we'll be focusing on Melaka. Being one of the smallest states in Malaysia, with a contribution of 3% to the national GDP, how can Melaka stand out among powerhouse states such as Selangor and Penang? Wong Shou Ning will be speaking with Datuk Ginie Lim Siew Lin, CEO of Invest Melaka—the state government agency tasked with attracting investments to the state.

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On the Breakfast Grille, Phil speaks to Jonathon Dixon, Vice President and MD, APJC short for Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China, at Cloudflare, Inc. With 2022 seeing an unprecedented year of cyberattacks from governments to corporates to small businesses, we have a conversation with Jonathan about how Cloudflare's solutions are helping build resilience, with the advent of Zero Trust, and whether their fremium packages it currently offers is a sustainable business model.

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Khairy Jamaluddin is in the political challenge of his life with a seven cornered fight in Sungai Buloh. He has made known of his ambitions to be Prime Minister of Malaysia. We ask him why he deserves that role, is reform within UMNO possible and his political future if he loses.

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