Advertise on podcast: The Breakfast Grille

Fresh off its debut on Bursa Malaysia’s ACE Market after raising RM28.6 million, NWE Resources Group Berhad presents an unusual financial picture: revenue slid from RM45.6 million in FY2024 to RM41.6 million in FY2026, yet net profit nearly doubled to RM8.5 million as gross profit margins surged toward 56%. Tan Chor Han, Executive Director of NWE Resources Group Berhad, joins The Breakfast Grille to unpack the strategy behind intentionally sacrificing volume for higher-margin product mixes and client contracts ahead of their listing. He discusses how the group is deploying its IPO proceeds across product development, working capital, and R&D, addresses doubling receivable days, and outlines when the company expects top-line revenue to finally resume growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aluminium products maker Winstar Capital wants to raise up to RM300 million through a new sukuk programme, roughly 1.5 times its own market value. Its latest quarter saw revenue jump by a third, but profit grew just 3 per cent, and its factory expansion is running behind schedule. In June, its second-biggest shareholder, solar firm Sunview, sold its entire stake at a discount. We speak to Lee Yong Zhi, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Winstar Capital, about why profit hasn’t kept up with sales, what the new borrowings will fund, and what Sunview’s exit means for the company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google has pledged US$15 billion over 2027 and 2028 to expand its Malaysian data centre footprint, a sevenfold jump from the US$2 billion committed in 2024. Ken Siah, Principal for Global Infrastructure, Asia Pacific at Google, tells the Breakfast Grill that 93% of Malaysian workers now use AI daily, Malay-language Gemini prompts have more than doubled in a year, and the build-out is projected to support 37,000 jobs annually during construction and over 9,000 once operational, alongside a planned one gigawatt of new clean energy for the grid. Yet the expansion lands as regulators weigh whether Malaysia's grid and water systems can absorb 117 already-approved projects plus 24 more pending applications. Siah addresses how Google squares its growth with that strain and what accountability looks like for a data centre operator paying full tariffs with no incentives. Tune in to hear him lay out Google's answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The field of Artificial Intelligence has had its winters over the decades but today it’s definitely entered an extended summer. Its roiling markets and politics and even philosophy; from return on investment to what makes us human. Those leading the technology’s development promise utopia but also warn of a chance, albeit slim, of existential threats. While the public discourse is dominated by these desires and fears, and questions of exploitation and exclusion being ignored. And is the push for AI sovereignty a realistic one? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Impact Capital Holdings is set to list on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market, after more than two decades in the ICT systems integration business. The company's managing director, Winston Chai talks about Impact Capital's growth journey, its financial performance and plans to expand its operations and develop new technology solutions, including digital twin and AI-enabled offerings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paramount Corporation has built its reputation as one of Malaysia's established property developers, but its ambitions now extend beyond property into coworking, hospitality and food and beverage investments. With property sales facing pressure and borrowing commitments rising, can diversification deliver sustainable growth without compromising shareholder returns? Jeffrey Chew, Group CEO and Executive Director of Paramount Corporation Berhad, discusses the outlook for Malaysia's property market, the group's investment priorities and its approach to managing debt and capital allocation. We also examine whether Paramount's expanding portfolio can improve profitability and deliver on its ambitions for 2030. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the Prime Minister recently announced restrictions on the use of the navigational app, Waze, for civil servants it received significant pushback from the larger public. Allegations about possible vulnerabilities and targeting by Israel, a country we have no diplomatic relations with, did little to quell the annoyance of a disgruntled segment of the public. Was the move by government not well thought out, or was it triggered by genuine security concerns that have yet to be shared with the public? How does the government navigate the democratic demand for transparency and a domestic security architecture which requires restrictions on information to be effective? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a few months ago, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development revealed in Parliament that almost 3 million women remain outside the workforce due to family commitments. For the government and policy-makers, the question is how much support is being given to them and what consequences for society and the economy are there if we do not. Today, in conjunction with the International Day of Care and Support, we discuss a proposal to shift the burden of support for women who have given birth from being reliant solely on employers to a system based on shared responsibility. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

East Asia's economy is proving more resilient than expected, with the World Bank forecasting growth of 4.5% this year, supported by surging demand for AI-related exports and investment. But with much of that growth concentrated in semiconductors and electronics, could the region become dangerously dependent on a global technology boom? On The Breakfast Grille, we examine the risks of excessive AI investment, rising energy costs and the region's slow adoption of AI among businesses. We also explore whether data centre investment can deliver lasting economic benefits, why smaller firms are struggling to adopt AI and what the technology could mean for productivity, employment and the skills of tomorrow's workforce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Self-described "ex-nepo baby" Vuitton Pang, CEO of emart24 Malaysia, joins The Breakfast Grille to discuss stepping out of the Mamee family business, entering the capital-intensive convenience sector, and whether the venture fits a broader family investment thesis. When he left Mamee-Double Decker in 2021 to launch emart24 in Malaysia, the target was 300 stores in five years. Five years on, the chain has only reached 111 outlets, discovering an unexpected growth engine not in central urban hubs like the Klang Valley, but deep in the East Coast, powering revenue to more than double year-on-year to RM114 million in FY2024. Vuitton reflects on walking away from traditional eldest-son expectations at Mamee, candidly sharing why his brother Pierre was the better fit to lead the family business. He also charts the road to group-level profitability after the most recent financials show RM20 million in losses in 2024. He breaks down strategies to help expand margins, his thoughts on an eventual IPO to fund growth, and why he stepped into the world of being a KOL CEO to drive foot traffic. Tune in to learn more about what is standing between emart24 and the scale it needs, and how Vuitton is trying to close that gap with capital, location strategy, and a newly built central kitchen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global space economy could reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, as private companies transform an industry once dominated by governments and national space agencies. But where is the money actually being made, and can commercial space ventures become profitable without relying heavily on public funding? On The Breakfast Grille, we explore the economics of satellite services, private spaceflight and emerging technologies, the growing influence of commercial operators, and whether countries such as Malaysia can capture meaningful opportunities in the global space industry without investing billions in their own space programmes. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Economics estimates that the cost of a war between NATO and the Russian Federation resulting from direct destruction in the warzone, higher energy prices as oil supplies reduced, and expected selloff in financial markets could cut global output by 1.3% or USD$1.5 trillion in the first year of the conflict. This is just one incentive to avoid war quite apart from the massive loss of life. However the signs of an escalation are everywhere; what will the belligerents choose? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EGH International is an interior fit-out company that recently made its debut on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market and is looking to expand its business after having secured prestigious jobs like the Merdeka 118 Park Hyatt Hotel. Its Managing director Datuk Weslie Lim joins us to discuss the company's financial performance, growth ambitions and what it will take to turn its expanding portfolio into sustainable earnings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RedPlanet Berhad straddles two unusual businesses: mapping electrical grids for utility companies, and holding the patent on Malaysia's Platform Intrusion Emergency Stop System, which halts LRT trains when something falls onto the tracks. The company recently moved from the LEAP market to ACE, raising RM13.3 million at RM0.19 a share, an offer oversubscribed 85 times. Its order book stands at roughly RM52 million, while managing director Lian Wah Seng estimates the addressable market at over RM10 billion. Yet a government directive to install platform screen doors across LRT stations could eventually make Red Planet's safety system redundant, and a profit guarantee on its AZTI subsidiary runs out this December. How the company plans to defend its margins, deploy its fresh capital, and push into new markets once that cushion disappears is the question at the heart of this conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Shadow Budget With No Seats in Parliament, But Plenty of Numbers While the federal opposition opted against tabling a shadow budget for Budget 2027, Parti Bersama Malaysia, a party with no current parliamentary representation, introduced its own comprehensive alternative fiscal plan. Their shadow budget proposes replacing blanket fuel subsidies with consolidated monthly cash allowances, reintroducing a 5% GST, and addressing long-term structural fiscal constraints. Sum Dek Joe, Economist and Policy Spokesperson for Parti Bersama Malaysia, joins The Breakfast Grille to examine the modeling and feasibility behind their proposal. He discusses why the party chose to table an alternative budget, explains how their proposed monthly fuel, cost-of-living, and child allowances aim to leave 80% of households better off, and outlines the economic rationale for replacing SST with a streamlined GST. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.