The Breakfast Grille

Episod

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  Mondelēz : Inside the Chocolate/Snacking Business 25.09.2026 22min

  Cocoa prices, changing consumer habits and increasingly complex supply chains are reshaping the business of snacking. Simon Crowther, Managing Director for Malaysia and Singapore at Mondelēz International, joins us to discuss the cost pressures facing chocolate makers, how the company is responding through its new RM90 million Crumb Tower in Shah Alam, and the challenges of sourcing commodities such as palm oil responsibly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Can Jotun Paint Its Next Century of Growth? 24.09.2026 22min

  As Jotun enters its second century, Malaysia is playing an increasingly important role in the Norwegian coatings maker’s Southeast Asian strategy. With local manufacturing and R&D capabilities already established, the company is looking to opportunities in data centres, infrastructure and more sustainable coatings while navigating volatile raw-material costs and intensifying competition. Can Jotun maintain its premium positioning while using Malaysia as a platform for its next phase of regional growth?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  GSMA on $1.2T Telco Capex, 6G, & Spectrum Policy 23.09.2026 22min

  With global mobile operators facing a $1.2 trillion capital expenditure cycle alongside flat revenue growth, GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath joins The Breakfast Grille to examine the changing economics of mobile connectivity.Vivek addresses who actually captures economic value as telcos fund the digital infrastructure, why regulators should not maximise monetisation on spectrum pricing and whether further market consolidation is inevitable. He also discusses how satellite networks and direct-to-device connectivity are disrupting traditional boundaries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 22, 2026 22.09.2026 23min

  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 22, 2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Business Of Watching Vehicles 21.09.2026 23min

  Cartrack tracks 2.8 million vehicles across 23 countries, listed on the Nasdaq through its parent Karooooo, and has been in Malaysia since 2014. But just over two million of those subscribers sit in South Africa — a business built on a crime rate and an insurance market that don't work the same way here. So what actually makes a Malaysian operator buy, and where does Malaysia rank in the region? We speak to Carmen Calisto, Co-CEO at Cartrack Asia.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Can Maersk Navigate a Fracturing World? 18.09.2026 17min

  Maersk is transforming itself from a container shipping giant into an integrated logistics business, with Malaysia playing a growing role through new warehousing capacity and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas. But geopolitical conflict, disrupted shipping routes, volatile freight rates and pressure to decarbonise are challenging the assumptions that have shaped global trade for decades. How resilient is Maersk’s strategy in this new environment, and can Malaysia strengthen its position as a major regional logistics hub?Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 17, 2026 17.09.2026 22min

  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 17, 2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 15, 2026 15.09.2026 30min

  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 15, 2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Hilding Anders: Slumberland, Premiumisation, & B2B Growth 14.09.2026 21min

  Despite mattresses being an infrequent, high-durability purchase, how are heritage bedding brands navigating aggressive price competition and changing consumer habits across Southeast Asia? Justin Lim Tiong Kiong, Managing Director for Southeast Asia at Hilding Anders, joins The Breakfast Grille to discuss how the Swedish-headquartered group is driving growth behind legacy brands like Slumberland and Vono.He details the region's operational performance following post-pandemic headwinds and outlines how the company balances direct-to-consumer e-commerce with its traditional dealer network. He also explores tailwinds in the five-star hospitality sector, the rise of health-focused sleep awareness, and why category premiumisation remains central to their long-term regional strategy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  SD Guthrie: Can Land & CPO Keep Record Profits Going? 11.09.2026 30min

  With record profits driven by strong CPO prices and surging industrial development returns, how is SD Guthrie balancing its legacy plantation core with the race for high-value land monetisation? Mohd Haris Mohd Arshad, President and Group Chief Executive Officer of SD Guthrie, joins The Breakfast Grille to discuss the strategic evolution of the 200-year-old palm oil giant.Haris outlines efforts to break through stagnant national yields through high-performing seed varieties, labor estate rehabilitation, and mechanisation. He also addresses the structural limits of land expansion, the ideal "sweet spot" for CPO pricing to prevent global demand destruction, and how the company plans to monetise strategic land banks for business parks and data centers without losing its plantation identity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 10, 2026 10.09.2026 22min

  The Breakfast Grille - Sep 10, 2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Is Jabil Malaysia Just A Warehouse Hub For The Group? 09.09.2026 21min

  Malaysia is now one of the world's four biggest net exporters of AI hardware, and Jabil is one of the companies that put it there. But while the group poured half a billion US dollars into North Carolina and signed a multi-gigawatt AI platform in India this year, Malaysia's headline was a leased logistics hub in Sungai Jawi. We ask whether 14,000 people, silicon photonics and a Perlis plant are buying Malaysia a bigger seat at the table — or just more floor space. We speak to Tan Siew Jin, Managing Director of Jabil Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  The Industry Zone That Nobody Talks About 08.09.2026 23min

  Everyone's watching Johor. But 4,500 acres of free industrial zone is quietly going up 800 metres from the Thai border at Bukit Kayu Hitam. This is the gateway that moved over RM50 billion in goods in 2024. Phase one is already more than 90% taken up, and after seven years of waiting, the road linking Malaysia's side to Thailand's new CIQ complex finally opened this July. We speak to Razwin Sulairee Hasnan Termizi, Group CEO of Northern Gateway Sdn Bhd, about whether Delapan becomes the bigger story in the north.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Can MEASAT Reinvent Itself for the SpaceTech Era? 07.09.2026 20min

  After three decades in Malaysia’s satellite industry, MEASAT is navigating a market transformed by Starlink, streaming and rapidly changing connectivity needs. COO Yau Chyong Lim discusses the economics of billion-ringgit satellite investments, the push into managed services, AI, IoT and telehealth, and why Malaysia still needs sovereign satellite capability. Can MEASAT move beyond its traditional satellite business and build a meaningful regional SpaceTech platform?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  PolicyStreet's $26M Series C, Profitability, & Next Phase 04.09.2026 21min

  Following its $26 million Series C round and hitting net profitability, how is insurtech PolicyStreet planning its next phase of expansion? Lee Yen Ming, Co-founder and Group CEO of PolicyStreet, joins BFM’s Breakfast Grille to discuss how the firm built a business model alongside legacy insurers, pivoting from its direct-to-consumer roots into embedded B2B2C distribution and offshore Labuan reinsurance co-underwriting.Yen Ming breaks down the economics of their higher-margin reinsurance strategy, their renewed push into consumer brand building, and how they deploy AI automation in operational workflows. He also addresses the long-term potential of Bank Negara’s Digital Insurer and Takaful Operator (DITO) framework, and considerations for an eventual liquidity event for investors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  AI Saved Malaysia’s Economy, But For How Long? 03.09.2026 23min

  GDP figures across AI-focused Asian hubs look strong, but they mask a broader economic weakness as weak domestic demand, escalating energy costs, new US tariffs, and high interest rates weigh on the non-AI economy. Stefan Angrick, Head of Asia-Pacific Economics at Moody’s Analytics, joins BFM’s Breakfast Grille to break down the depth of the two-speed economy in manufacturing hubs like Malaysia and why he believes Asia’s AI boom is ripe for a pause.Stefan also explores why tariffs are here to stay and whether central bank policies themselves risk amplifying global supply shocks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  GTA Holdings: A Defence MRO Goes Public 02.09.2026 22min

  GTA Holdings is heading for the ACE Market, servicing helicopter and aircraft engines out of Subang — with about 95% of that work tied to the military. But the prospectus raises questions: RM46mil in dividends paid out just before asking the public to fund a RM37.5mil building, cash dropping from RM107mil to RM23mil in eight months, and consultancy and software contracts awarded to a company owned by the CEO's two daughters. We also get into the four-month deadline to vacate Subang, the Safran certification the business depends on, and why a major shareholder is selling down half the offer-for-sale. We speak to Dato' Nonee Ashirin binti Dato' Mohd Radzi, Managing Director and CEO of GTA Holdings Berhad.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Remembering Our Colonial Past 01.09.2026 22min

  The colonial heritage of modern Malaysia is a complex one, in large part because the three major territories that now make up the country had distinct histories and came under the sway of different powers over the millennia. Over the last century of the half though the landscape is marked by the North Borneo Chartered Company in Sabah, the White Rajahs of Sarawak as well as Malaya’s mix of Straits Settlements, Federated and Unfederated States. While the experience of colonialism wasn’t singular, we can nevertheless think about it and draw lessons from it that’s productive for a discussion of our future.Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Hernan : Uniting Malaysians (and the World) With Durian 28.08.2026 22min

  Malaysia's durian industry has gone from struggling to meet demand to dealing with a glut but at the very heart of it, it is very much a part of Malaysia. Datuk Anna Teo, founder and Group CEO of Hernan Corporation, a durian grower, processor and exporter, discusses falling prices, rising costs, and whether Malaysia can build a truly world-class durian industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Pos Malaysia: A Turnaround, Or A Good Six Months? 27.08.2026 22min

  Pos Malaysia hasn't turned a profit since 2018 — 32 straight quarters in the red and close to a billion ringgit in accumulated losses. But the first half of 2026 hinted at a shift: losses narrowed to RM63 million, revenue grew 8%, and cash flow turned positive for the first time in years. Group CEO Charles Brewer joins us to explain the pivot from mail to parcels, the push into pawnbroking and digital gold, and whether the national postal operator is genuinely turning the corner — or just had a good six months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.