The Breakfast Grille

After 20 years of selling bus tickets online, Easybook is making a major move into government business, installing its own AI-powered cameras at terminals to catch off-the-books passengers and stop revenue leakages. William Lee, Founder and CEO of Easybook, joins The Breakfast Grille to unpack why the company is betting big on managing physical terminals and public infrastructure instead of just selling tickets online.

He shares the tough lessons learned from trying to scale across Southeast Asia, and explains how landing higher-margin government contracts might finally clear the runway for their long-awaited IPO.

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The Bursa-listed Censof Holdings has spent decades building a strong government financial-management software business. Now, it is looking to broaden that franchise through cloud, AI, automation and a new partnership with Microsoft. Ameer Shaik Mydin, Censof's Group MD discusses the firm's evolution and what investors can expect from its next phase of growth.

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Malaysia’s film industry is enjoying renewed momentum, with local productions attracting larger audiences and government incentives helping to bring international shoots to the country. But box-office success and foreign productions do not necessarily create a sustainable domestic industry. We speak to FINAS CEO Dato’ Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib about the effectiveness of public funding, developing local talent and intellectual property, and how FINAS balances its roles as both industry developer and regulator.

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Two days ago the US completed its withdrawal from Iraq, two decades after its invasion, in a move the American historian Paul W. Schoeder then called, “the fatal leap”. What will analysts be making of this American adventure in Iraq beyond the body count? And just as US President Donald Trump’s “war of choice” has put the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab El Mandeb on our lips, the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad is now coming into view. Tucked between Poland and Lithuania, it is home to the Baltic Fleet and sits 600km away from the main body of the Russian Federation. President Vladimir Putin has warned NATO that Russia is prepared to use all weapons in its arsenal including nuclear options if this enclave is attacked. East Asia has its signs of rising tensions too. So where is the world headed?

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Nine years after Formula 1 last roared through Sepang, the pinnacle of motorsports makes a surprise return to Malaysia, not as the Malaysian Grand Prix, but as the Bahrain Grand Prix. Azhan Shafriman Hanif, CEO of the Sepang International Circuit, joins The Breakfast Grille to discuss what it could take to justify a RM300 million bill for a permanent slot on the F1 calendar.

With ticket demand surging past 95,000 thanks to F1's booming global popularity, Shafriman takes us behind the scenes of Sepang’s unique commercial arrangement with the Bahrain International Circuit and the logistics behind pulling this off on a compressed two-month timeline.

Plus, he tackles the ultimate question: does a single-weekend economic boost justify spending RM300 million annually on a regular spot on the F1 calendar?

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As Chinese automakers aggressively expand and compete abroad, legacy automotive distributors face unprecedented market disruption. Dato' Seri Francis Lee, Group CEO of Bermaz Auto Berhad, joins The Breakfast Grille to discuss why they prioritise niche, sustainable sales volumes over aggressive price wars.

This comes as revenue has fallen from RM3.9 billion in FY2024 to RM2.3 billion in FY2026, while net profit has fallen from around RM350 million to RM106 million.   

Francis outlines Mazda’s shift toward premium positioning and hybrids, details the strategic boundaries set for Chinese EV partner Xpeng, and explains how conservative balance sheet management supports the company’s dividend record.   

Can Bermaz Auto’s commitment to sustainable volumes & protecting brand value hold up as Chinese marques reshape the automotive landscape?

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In 2023, Pita Limjaroenrat, a Thai politician grabbed headlines when his party won the largest share of Parliamentary seats in the 2023 General Elections. With almost 4 million more votes than their nearest rivals, he and his party were seen as the face of a Thailand hungry for reform. Yet, he and his party were prevented from taking office in a series of legal manoeuvres that have come to define Thailand’s democratic deficit. With a ten year ban to wait out, the telegenic businessman turned politician splits his time between Bangkok and Boston, where he is Senior Fellow at Harvard University. He has just launched the English edition of his memoir, “The Almost Prime Minister”.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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The haze pushed the air quality reading in Serian past 500, triggered an emergency and closed hundreds of schools, and Sarawak is still choking. So when do we get our blue skies back? With a Super El Niño set to peak between November and January, we ask what's coming next for our heat and water, and whether MetMalaysia's RM242 million upgrade will warn us in time. We speak to Ambun Dindang, Deputy Director-General (Operations) at the Malaysian Meteorological Department for insights.

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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.

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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?

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