Audrey Raj speaks to Ben Ng, CEO of AIA Bhd., about how AIA supports and trains its insurance agents, also known as life planners. Discussed are some of AIA's achievements which make it appealing to potential life planners, and the types of training programs that are offered. 

Hetal Doshi joins us for another installment of the series on organisational transformation, The Butterfly Effect. This episode, she discusses how best workplaces can really integrate mental health policies and practice what they preach.

With retailers big and small fighting for consumer attention and spend online, how do you stand out from the crowd? We speak to Founder and Creative Director of Nala Designs, Lisette Sheers about how to shift your loyal offline customers online, how to keep them engaged on various platforms and strategies to keep them coming back for more.

In times of trouble, the smallest luxuries can bring us joy; so it’s no surprise that after months of staying home, many were looking to be pampered and beautified as restrictions on businesses started lifting. But how did these services survive throughout the MCO? Kim May Chee, the founder of COCOdry, discusses getting through the lockdown, educating consumers on the concept of a blow dry bar, and her focus on creating an environment of comfort and kindness.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caused a splash when he unexpectedly resigned due to health concerns earlier this month. Abe has the distinction of being one of the longest-serving leaders of Japan - but what does he have to show for his time in office? We discuss his legacy and the future of Japan under new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga with journalist and author William Pesek.

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After stopping work for several months during the Movement Control Order, the construction industry is once again grinding to life- but time is money, and how much have they lost in the interim? Crest Builder Holdings is one such player who fell into the red as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions, but have they managed to pull themselves up now that work has recommenced? How will their existing projects fare, as consumer demand shifts? All this and more on the Breakfast Grille with Eric Yong, Managing Director of Crest Builder Holdings.

We continue tracking Sabah politics as the state heads for election on 26 Sep. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at Singapore Institute of International Affairs discusses themes and hot seats, and thinks the elections will not stop “frogging” as long as there is no anti-party-hopping law.

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Sim Wie Boon speaks to The Honourable Dato' Teng Chang Khim, Executive Councillor (Chairman of Standing Committees for Investment, Industry & Commerce and Small Medium Enterprise (SME), Selangor, about Invest Selangor's digitalisation initiatives. Highlighted are times when such initiatives were successful, and if there will be any more digitalisation initiatives introduced in the near future.

According to a report by Fitch Ratings, spending on 5G will increase over the next two years but the tough economic environment will delay economic returns. The report noted that the pandemic’s effects on 5G will be short-lived as diverging capex patterns have emerged during the pandemic, with 5G priorities advancing in countries like South Korea, China, Singapore and the US. So what does this mean for the rollout of 5G in the Asia Pacific region?

Hawati Abdul Hamid, Senior Research Associate, at Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) estimates that informal employees form about 17% of the workforce, and more could be done to encourage them with little safety net (the “precariats”) to contribute to existing social protection schemes. For example, EPF estimates that only less than 10% of 2.7 million self-employed Malaysians are contributing to i-Saraan, and out of that, only 18% contribute consistently.

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