The Breakfast Grille

Visit Malaysia Year 2026 puts the tourism sector in the spotlight. Philip See sits down with Hannah Pearson, Director of Pear Anderson, and Nigel Wong, President of MATTA, to discuss gaps in infrastructure and coordination, while exploring the campaign’s theme, “Surreal Experiences".

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EFS Group has been in the solar business since 2013, as the industry in Malaysia graduates from being just about rooftop installations and incentives. Darren Tan, CEO of EFS, talks about how rising costs, contract-based models and large-scale projects are reshaping how his company does business.

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Nearly half of Malaysia’s healthcare is delivered by the private sector, even as public hospital fees remain below ten ringgit and medical inflation runs in double digits. In this Best of the Breakfast Grille 2025 episode, we revisit key conversations on what it takes to keep quality care within reach.

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Malaysia was the best market in Asean for IPOs in 2025 with 60 listings. We spoke to almost half of them who chose to go public asking why they took this route whilst diving deep into their business model. In the mix, we have the winners which include THMY and Oriental Kopi whilst we also include a mix of old and new economy like Foodie Media and Orkim.

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Today on the Breakfast Grille, we are revisiting conversations on the show this year revolving around foreign policy discussions and of course, notable mentions from Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship. This includes US President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and the recent 47th ASEAN Summit.

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On today’s Breakfast Grille, we look back at our discussions on the media and entertainment scene. It’s been a tough few years for traditional media, with streaming, online platforms, and AI reshaping the industry. We also explore the role of the Malaysia Media Council in navigating these changes.

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Universities may face different challenges, but they’re all aiming for the same result. This episode reflects on conversations throughout the year about the challenges facing higher education from costs to ensuring graduate employability.

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2025 has seen major shifts in Malaysia’s political landscape, from government reforms and cabinet reshuffles to key events like Budget 2026 and the Sabah state election. On today’s Breakfast Grille, we reflect on our conversations about these developments and their implications for the country.

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2025 was the year global trade was thrown into turmoil, thanks largely to US tariffs and geopolitical tensions. How are countries and economic blocs around the world navigating the currents? We revisit conversations on trade and tariff issues that dominated the year.

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As 2025 draws to a close, the world faces unresolved wars, intensifying great-power competition and growing economic uncertainty. Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security and founder of the ASEAN Wonk newsletter talks about what 2025 revealed, and what 2026 could bring for the US, ASEAN, and the global order.

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