Podcast
The Breakfast Grille
Hosted by BFM Media · EN
Sharper and stronger than a double espresso. The Morning Run stretches your mind and braces you for the business day. It's your fast track into work where you can hit the ground running. From 6am to 10am weekdays, the Morning Run brings you the biggest stories and must-listen-to interviews. Stay enlightened, make educated business and investment decisions.
71episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Malaysian Higher Education Blueprint: Rebrand or Real Reform?
6d ago00:26:06Tap to summarizeThe Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2026 to 2035 was launched in March, setting out the policy direction for tertiary education in the country over the next decade. Does this plan address the realities of higher education institutions in Malaysia today, and what will it take to achieve the aim of becoming a global education hub by 2035? We explore themes and trends in higher education with our expert panel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →How iQIYI Is Navigating Southeast Asia’s Streaming Wars
1w ago00:22:57Tap to summarizeStreaming platforms are entering a more demanding phase, where subscriber growth alone is no longer enough to sustain expansion or satisfy investors. For players like iQIYI, the challenge now is balancing profitability, localisation, creator monetisation, and AI-driven innovation while competing for audiences across Southeast Asia’s increasingly crowded entertainment landscape. As viewing habits evolve and pressure builds on both advertising and subscription models, how is iQIYI positioning itself for the next stage of growth in the region?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Can Pentech Move Beyond the Low-Margin ICT Model?
1w ago00:21:23Tap to summarizeAs Malaysia’s digital infrastructure and enterprise technology spending continue to expand, newly listed ICT players are facing growing pressure to differentiate beyond traditional hardware distribution and project-based revenue. Pentech Holdings is positioning itself around cybersecurity, managed services, and AI-driven solutions as it prepares for its ACE Market debut at an IPO price of 20 sen per share on June 15. But in a sector known for tight margins and intense competition, how sustainable is the shift toward recurring revenue and higher-value digital services, and what should investors be watching as the company enters its next phase of growth?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Samsonite Malaysia: Premium Luggage Holds Steady
1w ago00:22:23Tap to summarizeBetween 2022 and 2024, Samsonite enjoyed a massive travel boom, but now the market is slowing down and cheap rivals are flooding in.Ambert Khoo, General Manager of Samsonite Malaysia, joins The Breakfast Grille to explain how they keep Asia more profitable than their other major markets, and how selling 90% of their products directly to customers drives that success.We also discuss how moving into everyday items like ladies' handbags and backpacks protects the business when people travel less, as well as dive into a new franchise plan designed to help their budget brand, American Tourister, win back customers from cheaper competitors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Cybersecurity in the Age of AI
2w ago00:24:09Tap to summarizeA.I. technology has developed at an exponential rate over the past 5 years, but it comes at the cost of regulatory and cybersecurity frameworks playing catch-up. We speak to US legal practitioner Guillermo Christensen, a partner at the law firm K&L Gates to discuss how governments are responding to the cybersecurity risks that AI poses and how businesses should adapt to the rapidly evolving landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →AppliedAI: AI Is Everywhere Except Profits
2w ago00:22:55Tap to summarizeIs artificial intelligence stuck in your cost structure and completely missing from your bottom line? Arya Bolurfrushan, Founder and CEO of The Applied AI Company (AAICO), joins The Breakfast Grille to break down exactly what enterprises are getting wrong about AI adoption.We explore his firm’s $100 million war chest and aggressive private equity-style acquisition strategy, as well as why patching an AI agent into an existing legacy setup is a dangerous automation trap. Arya reveals how to properly design an AI-first process with strategic human placement rather than contorting your business around rigid code.Finally, we dissect the unique mathematical vulnerability where a tiny 1% error rate compounds into an 11% operational crisis across multiple agents, and why AAICO is locked in a multi-million dollar race to chart all 2.7 million finite, regulated business processes on Earth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Les’ Copaque: The Road to a Malaysian Disney?
2w ago00:21:50Tap to summarizeLes' Copaque Production built one of Malaysia’s most recognisable animation franchises in Upin & Ipin. Now, the company is expanding beyond content, into education, F&B, and even a theme park, as it looks to evolve into a full-fledged IP-driven business. Datuk Burhanuddin Md Radzi its founder and managing director shares how he plans to fulfil his lifelong dreams.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →IKEA: Balancing Affordability, Sustainability & Growth
2w ago00:21:11Tap to summarizeIKEA has been part of the Malaysian retail landscape for 30 years and as consumers become more cost-conscious and e-commerce reshapes retail, it is evolving beyond its traditional megastore model. Malcolm Pruys, Country Retail Director of IKEA Malaysia discusses affordability, omnichannel retail and expansion for the IKEA experience in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →UCSI University: Competition in the Higher Education Space
2w ago00:22:50Tap to summarizeUCSI University, which in 2024 found itself at its highest position in the QS World University Rankings since its inception, slipped slightly in the 2025 list. Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir, the university's Vice-Chancellor, discusses whether UCSI University can sustain its position as competition intensifies and weighing in on Malaysia’s higher education system.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Can ASEAN’s Digital Needs Push EdgePoint Past Key Pressures?
3w ago00:23:33Tap to summarizeTelco tower veteran Suresh Sidhu launched EdgePoint Infrastructure in 2020, scaling the regional venture to over 16,000 sites across Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with backing from DigitalBridge, and then later the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.However the infrastructure model now faces a more complex reality: carrier consolidation and a higher for longer interest rate environment that creates a more challenging environment, in particular for a PE-backed player. Can ASEAN’s underlying tide of data demand outrun these mounting structural pressures?Suresh Sidhu joins the show to discuss navigating private equity expectations in a high-rate climate, the shifting economics of a consolidated customer base, and the new growth engines driving the TowerCo model.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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