DailyStraits.com - Something Different!
By dailystraits.com
DailyStraits.com - Something Different!Nov 19, 2022
An Interview with ASWARA Vice Rector Professor Azril Ismail
By June Ramli
In this episode of DailyStraits.com, host June Ramli speaks to Aswara vice rector Professor Azril Ismail about Malaysia's only higher learning institution for the performing arts, including the courses offered, benefits of getting a qualification from Aswara, and plans for the institution's future.
The conversation also touches on issues such as employability rates of Aswara graduates, the lack of accredited acting schools in Malaysia, and the proportion of students by race.
Podcast: David Chiem of MindChamps
By June Ramli
Welcome to this episode of DailyStraits.com's 30 Minutes podcast.
Today, we have an exciting guest, David Chiem, the founder of MindChamps, a leading education movement that has taken the world by storm. David's inspiring journey from rags to riches has made him a highly sought-after speaker and leader in the education industry.
In this episode, we delve into the story of how David's champion mindset and background in the arts inspired him to create MindChamps, which has now expanded to over eight countries. We explore how he managed to build a successful brand in the highly competitive Singapore preschool space and what sets MindChamps apart from other preschool and enrichment centers in the market.
David takes us through how MindChamps has evolved since its inception in 2008, and shares his plans for its future growth. He also walks us through his unique approach to education and the philosophy behind the MindChamps movement.
As someone with a background in the arts, David explains how it has influenced his work in education and how he incorporates it into the MindChamps curriculum. We also discuss some of the challenges he faced while building and expanding MindChamps and how he overcame them.
Finally, we talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education industry and what steps MindChamps has taken to adapt to the new normal.
This is a fascinating episode that is sure to inspire and enlighten anyone interested in education, entrepreneurship, and the power of a champion mindset. Tune in to hear from David Chiem and learn more about the MindChamps movement.
Maldives Tourism Minister Affirms Safety for Visitors
In terms of connectivity from Australia, Dr. Mausoom hopes to have some positive news for those wanting to visit his country by next year.
Currently, Malaysia’s Batik Air would start offering direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to the Maldives starting from June 23 this year.
Tune into the entire interview here. #Maldives
Podcast: Peter Petroulas of WhizButler
By June Ramli
Welcome to this episode of our podcast, where we interview Peter Petroulas, a seasoned restaurateur with over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry.
Peter was previously the owner of the GPO Grand stable of restaurants, which were popular hotspots in Sydney's food scene.
Today, we'll be discussing Peter's latest venture, WizButler, a unique digital restaurant booking system that streamlines operations and enhances customers' experiences.
During the show, Peter shared insights into how restaurants can increase their revenue despite the current headwinds.
He also discussed the concept of autonomous automation and how it can benefit restaurants, as well as how WizButler's booking system manages a restaurant's space.
Additionally, Peter offered advice for restaurateurs looking to stay ahead of their competition and better meet customer requirements.
Some of the questions that we asked Peter during the show included:
What inspired you to start the WizButler digital platform for restaurants? How can dynamic menus and pricing help restaurants increase revenue during challenging times? How can restaurants integrate booking systems with ordering systems to create a completely blended system?Tune in to hear Peter's insightful responses and learn more about the innovative solutions that WizButler offers for the hospitality industry.
Bruce Poon Tip discusses responsible travel in "The Last Tourist" documentary
Welcome to 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. In today's episode, we are excited to be joined by Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, a pioneer of community tourism, and executive producer of the critically acclaimed documentary "The Last Tourist."
"The Last Tourist" is an eye-opening and thought-provoking documentary that highlights the consequences of mass tourism on the environment, wildlife, and local communities in 16 countries worldwide.
As travel restrictions gradually ease up in the post-pandemic era, it's more important than ever to have a deeper understanding of the impact of travel on the destinations we visit.
In this conversation, we explore how the documentary came to be, the challenges faced during production, the funding sources, and the age of the images used in the film.
We also get to hear Bruce's perspective on why he, as a businessman in the travel industry, decided to produce a documentary that addresses the negative impacts of tourism.
He shares his insights on how to be a responsible traveler, what role the tourism industry can play in promoting sustainable tourism practices, and how we can all make a positive impact on the places we visit.
Finally, we ask Bruce to describe his vision of an ideal tourist and why every traveler should strive to be one.
Tune in to hear a fascinating and insightful conversation with Bruce Poon Tip on responsible tourism, the future of travel, and how we can make a positive impact in the world."
Mama Movement Australia: Empowering Women to Exercise in Style
Mama Movement Australia is a clothing brand that specialises in creating fashionable and comfortable activewear for women. Faye Tan, the founder of Mama Movement Australia, started the brand to help women feel confident and beautiful while they exercise. With its vibrant and colourful activewear, Mama Movement Australia has gained popularity in the fashion industry. In this podcast, we have a conversation with Faye Tan and discuss the brand's origin story, inspiration behind the colourful activewear, design process, challenges faced during the startup phase, and the impact Mama Movement Australia has had on the fashion industry. Some of the key questions that we explore in the podcast include how Mama Movement Australia started and what motivated Faye to create a line of colourful and fashionable activewear. We also discuss how Mama Movement Australia's activewear differs from other activewear brands on the market and how the brand's design process is unique. Furthermore, we delve into some of the challenges that Faye faced while starting Mama Movement Australia and how she overcame them. We also talk about the response that Mama Movement Australia has received since its launch and the impact that the brand is making in the fashion industry. If you're interested in learning more about Mama Movement Australia and purchasing its fashionable activewear, be sure to check out their website at mamamovement.com.au and follow them on social media for updates and inspiration.
Podcast: First AML CEO Milan Cooper
By June Ramli
Australia is currently the most vulnerable country in the developed world to the crime of money laundering. Alongside Haiti and Madagascar, Australia is one of the three countries worldwide that have not implemented Tranche 2, a tightening of anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws that will regulate the law, accounting and real estate industries. With no regulatory framework or government support many Australian businesses don’t know how to best protect themselves and most importantly still don’t realise the risky nature of current processes. Our chat today is going to be with Auckland-based First AML founder and CEO Milan Cooper, whose global company offers a technology solution that helps businesses to protect themselves against crime now.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What is Tranche 2?
Why is Australia lagging behind the rest of the developed world?
Some money laundering scandals that have taken place in Australia and what could have been done to avoid it and much more.
Without further ado, listen to the full interview here.
Podcast : Malaysian Influencer Elle Fara
By June Ramli
The Influencer Lifestyle
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com.
This is your host June Ramli coming to you from our base in Sydney, Australia.
Our guest is a Malaysian influencer who goes by the name of Elle Fara.
Elle shot to fame last year after gaining popularity for being similar looking to Malaysian actress Fazura.
Our chat with Elle today is going to revolve around her work as an influencer in Malaysia. How does she get her clients, how much she makes per job and tips and tricks on how to grow a social media fan base from zero to hero and much more. Once again this interview would be conducted in both Malay and English.
In this podcast, we discuss:
How much do social media influencers get paid per job? What are some of the tactics she uses to grow her social media account? Her tips for those wanting to become a social media influencer and much more…Without further ado, let’s invite Elle to the show and pick her brains on this much coveted influencer lifestyle that many of us would like to know more about.
Podcast : Rediscovering Sabah
By June Ramli
If you have been to Sydney, London or Bali for few times in a row and have no idea where else to go and spend your hard earned money, then might I suggest that you add exploring Sabah on your list.
Sabah has everything you need and more and the best part is that you won’t have to break the bank in getting there.
Well, it would cost you a little bit to get there by plane from the Peninsula but other than that there are no other major expenses that you will have to endure, no currency exchange and no expensive entry fees into all major attractions.
I had been to Sabah three times but this time I was feasted with a variety of excursions which included several boat rides in the croc infested Kinabatangan river, the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Sandakan and the very famous Sepilok OrangUtan Rehabilitation Centre.
The people are nice and the food is great.
The state offers a range of activities for a variety of travellers be it those interested in solo, group or even family excursions.
There are a myriad of places that you can stay but if you need an idea on where to stay while in Sabah, or in the capital city of Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, then check out the articles here.
As such we hope that you will enjoy this short little video presentation that would sum up the week long excursion that I was privileged enough to experience at the tail end of last year.
This was my third visit to Sabah and has been my best one yet, all thanks to the many wildlife encounters I had there.
And as promised here is a short video of my excursion during my stay in Sabah and if you are keen on visiting either Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan, please do and I can assure you that you won’t be disappointed.
Podcast : Pablo Amirul of Air Force The Movie
By June Ramli
Welcome to DailyStraits.com first podcasting episode for the year! We are going to kickstart our series with a comprehensive interview with Malaysian celebrity Pablo Amirul on the pros and cons of being an actor in Malaysia. As a former banker turned full time actor based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Pablo has acted in numerous films with the most notable one being Kampung Drift and Air Force The Movie: Selagi Bernyawa which is now available on Netflix including here in Australia. Our chat with Pablo today is going to revolve around on intricacies of being an actor in Malaysia. Also, as a disclaimer the interview will be conducted both in English and Malay. Without further ado, let’s listen and watch the interview here.
#Podcast #Podcasting #Malaysia #Actor #DailyStraits #PabloAmirul #MalaysianActor #JuneRamli
Podcast : Dr Lisa Myers of When the Light Goes Out
By June Ramli
Mental Health Explained
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Sydney-based psychiatrist Dr Lisa Myers. Dr. Lisa Myers is a South African born, Australian trained child and adolescent psychiatrist with 20 years of mental health experience. With mental health awareness month kicking off in October, Dr. Lisa Myers’ timely new book When The Light Goes Out , showcases lived experience and expert advice, both key factors to managing the ever-growing mental health crisis. Lisa’s book will provide readers with practical tools and strategies for managing their own mental health. In this courageous memoir, Lisa skilfully combines her own story of unimaginable violence and suffering, together with clients’ experiences and professional insights, to help guide readers facing their own challenges, whether that be major trauma or everyday adversity. Our chat with Dr Myers today is going to revolve around her book and other matters related to mental health.
In this podcast we discuss:
What made her want to write the book?
Her thoughts on Medicare and whether it is doing enough for mental health treatment?
Why should someone read her book?
Without further ado, let’s listen and watch the episode here:
#DailyStraitsDotCom #DailyStraits #Podcast #Podcasting #Australia #MentalHealth #Writer
Podcast : Kris Davant of Frollo
By June Ramli
Are you struggling to keep up to date with your finances? Well, if you are then this is the right podcasting episode for you.
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our show today has got something to do with a money management app - Frollo.
With over 150,000 downloads to date, Frollo is a purpose-driven fintech that helps businesses use open banking data to deliver better customer outcomes right from reducing debt and increasing savings, to providing a better, more personalised customer experience.
Frollo’s app won Mozo’s best money management app of 2021, and it was recently featured on the Today show.
Today, we get to pick the brains of Kris Davant, the head of Product for Frollo and ask him first hand about the benefits of the app and how to best use it.
In this podcast, we discuss:
On average, users save $1,100 when they sign up to Frollo’s app to manage their money - can you give us a real life example on how one can achieve this?
With all the security breaches that have been happening in Australia lately, how safe is a customers’ data with Frollo?
What are some of the benefits of using Frollo, as compared to budgeting traditionally either through a pen or paper or through Microsoft’s spreadsheet?
Without further ado, let’s invite Kris to the show to tell us more about the app.
#podcasting #podcast #dailystraits #frollo
Podcast : Elliot Dellys of Phronesis Security
Learning About The Dark Web
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Melbourne-based Elliot Dellys, the CEO and founder of Cybersecurity firm, Phronesis Security.
Phronesis Security works directly with government agencies and technology start-ups to provide pragmatic security solutions and cybersecurity consultation.
They specialise in world-class governance, risk and compliance services, cutting-edge penetration testing, innovative security architecture, tailored security awareness and education campaigns, as well as security management and strategy through its proven vCISO offering.
Our chat with Dellys today would revolve around a myriad of topics including the recent cyber attacks that Australian businesses are experiencing and what sort of little things can start-ups or small businesses do to safeguard their business from being attacked on the internet.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What is Phronesis Security? What are the repercussions of having your data exposed on the dark web? Let’s move the conversation to startups or small businesses that are operating from home? How does one ensure that their business does not fall prey to any cyberattacks? Some tips please Advice for anyone wanting to start their own cybersecurity business?Without further ado, let’s listen and watch the interview with Dellys here.
#podcasting #podcast #dailystraits #Australia
Podcast : Chef Mel Alafaci Of Culinary Quickies
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Chef Mel Alafaci, a Brisbane-based chef and author is taking on the world, transforming unhappy domestic chefs who are frustrated and failing in their kitchens, to confident, happy foodies.
Her unique cooking style and culinary lingo has even experienced foodies adapting her shortcuts and hacks in the kitchen transforming everyday local produce into show stopping meals.
Best of all she loves upcycling seasonal produce and budget basics into sensational masterpieces, boasting that she can make any ingredient or plate of food look 'then bucks more expensive.’
Alafaci’s love of cooking stems from her African roots. She lived in remote areas of Zimbabwe and South Africa where cooking was her only source of entertainment. If she found a recipe in a book, there were no shopping centres, so she had to improvise.
This is where Alafaci learnt to do amazing things with basic ingredients. She loves to make things look more expensive than they really are…
With one cookbook published and another two on the way, our chat with Mel today is going to revolve around how to cook and save thousands on groceries, plus other cheffy tips.
Without further ado, let’s welcome Chef Alafaci to the show.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What are some of the top cheffy skills that you can dish out to our listeners to keep things fresh which can inevitably save one thousands of dollars each year. How does one shop like a chef and grab the bargains and know what to do with them? What is the best way to devise a meal plan or a list of mix and match recipes that is quick and easy to make and much more.
Podcast : Julian Fayad of LoanOptions.ai
By June Ramli
Borrowing From The Ninja
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com.In this episode we will be speaking to Julian Fayad is the Founder & Managing Director of LoanOptions.ai. After growing up with a natural gravitation towards technology, Fayad designed and built an app at the age of 18. He successfully worked his way through the ranks in the financial sector, working in high level management roles, where he continuously brought record-breaking growth and developed numerous key partnerships among the broker and lender space. With his constant level of forward thinking and having an entrepreneurial itch he wanted to scratch, he launched LoanOptions.ai, Australia’s first AI powered comparison tool. Besides being a successful entrepreneur, Fayad is also a financial expert and a digital disruptor in an industry that is generally a slow mover in adapting to the newest trends, and LoanOptions.ai will be the main beneficiary of this. Our chat with Julian today is going to revolve around how he built an app from the ground up and makes money out of it and more.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What made him want to be an entrepreneur at a very young age? How did the idea for LoanOptions.ai come about? How many users does the website have now and how does your business compare to other comparison sites like comparethemarket.com.au and more…Without further ado, let’s listen and watch the interview here.
Podcast : Dr Kathryn Evans of Advance Australia Fairly
By June Ramli
Giving Women A Fair Go
The belief in a ‘fair go’ is embedded in Australian society, yet gender inequality continues to be a problem and it's holding the economy back. S
So what can be done about this ongoing inequality and why should Australia as a nation care?
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com.When it comes to gender equality in Australia, one person has heaps of things to say about this topic.
And that one person is Dr Kathryn Evans.
Evans recently penned a book titled Advance Australia Fairly- on why there is a need for Australia to have a national plan for gender equality to drive the nation’s success.
She is the Australian Managing Director of a multinational biotechnology company. As a qualified pharmacist, Kathryn made her mark as a top salesperson for companies such as Roche, Cochlear and Sanofi, before going on to earn her MBA.
She was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration in 2019 for her influential research on women in senior leadership, and in 2020 her research findings were published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources.
Our chat with Evans is going to revolve around the book itself and how Australian business can do better by incalculating more women in the top management.
In this podcast, we discuss:
As a woman in a high position in a multinational company, how hard was it for you to climb the corporate ladder? In most offices, workers are barred from discussing our salaries with our co-workers in the open, but generally men do get paid more because of the traditional concept that they are breadwinners of a family and hence they need more pay. So, with all of this in mind, how do you propose that we close the gender pay gap among men and women in Australia? How can Australian businesses support more women to participate more fully in our labour market and more…Without further ado, let’s listen and watch the interview with Evans here:
To our listeners out there, we have one signed copy to give away to our Australian-based listeners. Just email us your name and address to editor@dailystraits.com and we will be sure to send you the copy as we can. Thank you.
Podcast : Lina Patel, Mary O’Keeffe of Greaterthan
By June Ramli
Explained: Role of Business Coaches
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today we have not one but two special guests sitting in with us from business coaching firm Greaterthan.
Greaterthan is a business coaching firm based in Bristol, UK with offices around the world including Australia and New Zealand.
Reps from both sides of the Tasman sat down with DailyStraits.com recently to give us a better understanding of the organisation and how they can help your business thrive through their involvement.
Lina Patel of Melbourne, Australia and Wellington-based Mary O'Keeffe of Greaterthan are both business coaches from the organisation and they sat down recently for an in depth interview explaining to us about the benefits of engaging a business coach for your organisation.
Both ladies gave us a better understanding on what companies can expect including the costs when engaging the services from their firm.
Without further ado, let’s watch and listen to the interview here:
In this podcast we discuss:
What is the scarcity mindset? Why is it important to do away with such a mindset? Why organisations should hire business coaches and morePodcast : Brodie Haupt of WLTH
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes of DailyStraits.com. Our guest today Brodie Haupt who is the co-founder of a Brisbane-based digital lending and payments provider - WLTH. As an entrepreneur, Brodie boasts 12 years of working experience, having successfully founded and developed numerous businesses in the finance, fintech, and proptech industries. He is also an alumnus of Oxford University, Saïd Business School, and Harvard Business School, and is recognised as a thought leader in the e-payments and lending space in Australia. Our chat with Brodie today is going to be centered on a bit about everything including how one can bag a loan with his lending company - WLTH.
Without further ado, let’s welcome Brodie to the show. In this podcast, we discuss:
How WLTH got its start?
His personal experience in building a startup?
Why should someone bank with WLTH?
#dailystraits #dailystraitsdotcom #podcasting #podcasting #BrodieHaupt #Brisbane #Sydney #Australia #Startup
News: Senior Aussies Big Windfall
Senior Australians could be eligible for thousands of dollars in support to continue remaining in their homes. Listen more to find out how you can get these support and read DailyStraits.com News In Brief section to find out the full details.
Podcast: Brendan Malone of Raiz Australia
Making Investing Easy
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Brendan Malone, the co-founder, CEO of Raiz Invest Australia and Group COO of Raiz Invest Limited.
Malone has over 20 years of experience in financial institutions including The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and ABN AMRO (AMRO).
His experience ranges from all aspects of investment banking, client coverage and strategy, along to compliance and all operational functions.
He is particularly known for his ability to innovate and operate at a highly strategic level, whilst driving operational excellence with strong attention to detail.
In the past, he has led large-scale workforces across most front and back-office functions and delivered transformational agendas resulting in significant synergies through mergers, acquisitions, restructuring and downsizing.
Malone has experience working across various continents, jurisdictions, legislations and regulatory environments as well as cultures in both developed and emerging economies.
His previous roles have consisted of both front and back-office functions across key financial hubs including London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney.
With Raiz, Malone is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Raiz Group’s business and is passionate about his customer-centric, highly efficient, productive and dynamic team who specialises in customer service, technology, finance and marketing.
As a graduate of the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and finance, Malone is a member of both The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In this podcast we discuss:
An explainer of what Raiz is? What is Raiz’s competitive advantage over its competitors? The number of people using Raiz to date?"A Prime Minister was operating rogue..it trashes the institutions" - Bill Shorten on Australia Today
Sydney, Aug 17: NDIS Minister and Former Labor Leader Bill Shorten was on Australia Today with Steve Price on LiSTNR today and made some interesting points regarding former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his additional powers.
"The serious issue here for people to consider is we’ve just found that a Prime Minister was operating rogue….The Parliament didn’t know, and the Cabinet didn’t know. It’s very unhealthy for our democracy, it trashes the institutions," shorten said.
"I hope to goodness that there’s no potential for legal challenges made by decisions during this time, that’s the last thing we need. I do think Mr Dutton and continuing members of the shadow Ministry need to explain what they knew. I think ultimately his resignation is a matter for the Liberal Party...I know what I would do if I was Scott Morrison"
"I think he didn’t trust his colleagues, I think he was a one-man band. The fact he went around the sneaky way and couldn’t be upfront is odd."
"We’ve been a modern country since 1901. Ministers have got sick – it didn’t need the Prime Minister to secretly go down to the Governor General’s residence and swear himself in."
"(If you were Josh Frydenberg) you’d feel stupid, you’d feel let down. You’d feel stupid because you gave your loyalty to a fellow who honestly didn’t trust you enough to say 'Oh by the way Josh, I’ve created an unusual arrangement where I can also sign the same laws as you sign'."
Credit Australia Today with Steve Price on LiSTNR.
Podcast: Kim Rae Of Waiheke Island
By June Ramli
From NYC To Waiheke
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes of DailyStraits.com.
Our guest today, is New Zeland-based entrepreneur Kim Rae. Kim is a former New Yorker who worked in the fashion industry, at the likes of Ralph Lauren, before starting her wholesale clothing design and manufacturing business at the age of 23.
Her business worked for large American retailers, Saks, Macy's, Nordstrom, Brooks Brothers etc to design and produce items or collections specific to their markets under their own ‘private labels.
From there, Kim bought a round-the-world plane ticket with her husband, got married in Las Vegas, and decided to move to Waiheke Island to raise a family. She bought a vineyard and olive grow, Cypress Ridge, on Waiheke and was meant to slow down but once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur, and so in 2011 she set up Stay Waiheke.
Stay Waiheke is ‘the’ accommodation booking agency team with a portfolio featuring some of the island's most luxurious lodges, romantic hideaways, and boutique beachside baches to cover all price points.
Our chat with Kim today would revolve around her business and much more.
In this podcast, we discuss why she left NYC for Waiheke Island in NZ, the challenges she faced as starting a business as a foreigner in New Zealand and her advice for Americans wanting to follow in her footsteps and much more. Without further ado, let’s watch and listen to the podcast here.
#StayWaiheke #Waiheke #newzealand #dailystraits #dailystraitsdotcom
Peter Dutton speaks about that viral dagwood dog photo!
Today on Sydney’s 104.1 2Day FM’s breakfast show, Hughesy, Ed & Erin, Opposition leader Peter Dutton joined the show to talk about that viral dagwood dog photo from his visit to Brisbane Ekka!
Hughesy confronted Peter Dutton over how he eats a dagwood dog!
“With the cameras there, I mean you can’t eat it from the side because the sauce drips off like Bill Shorten, so it leaves one angle and it’s not a great one.”
“I went to the showbag stand and bought a Milky Way show bag along with a Bertie Beetle bag as well and next thing I’m accused of trying to portray an image of Kevin Rudd when he was known as Milky Bar Kid.”
“Most of my mates actually were pretty rapid-fire texting me like, ‘WTF’, but anyway, what do you do.”
Credit: 2Day FM’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin
Podcast: Jessica Agoston of Artfull
Helping Aotearoa Artists Make A Buck
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Auckland-based entrepreneur Jessica Agoston Cleary who started Artfull along with her business partner John Barnett. Artfull is a New Zealand marketplace that was created to connect Kiwi artists and galleries with buyers in an online space in Aotearoa and around the world. Its innovative digital technology even enables collectors to see a visual representation of artworks for sale in their own homes before they buy. Our chat with Jessica today would revolve around the art space in New Zealand and much more.
In this podcast we discuss:
How did the platform get its start? Why would anyone want to invest in New Zealand-based artists? How does an artiste get to trade with Artfull and much more?Without further ado, let’s listen to and watch the interview here:
Podcast: Diana Talit of Matrade New York
By June Ramli
Malaysia in US
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today, Diana Talit who is New York Trade Commissioner for the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation or Matrade for short Talit has over 25 years of working experience in both private and public sectors – 11 years as a corporate banker and 14 years in public service with Malaysia’s ministry of international trade and industry, accumulating experiences in international trade promotion, entrepreneur development and forging government-private sector relations. Before New York, Talit was based in Paris for five years from 2009 to 2014 as the Malaysian Trade Commissioner overseeing the promotion of Malaysia’s trade with France, Spain, Portugal and Monaco. While in France, she actively promoted Malaysia and France collaboration in aerospace engineering services and collaborated with ABE Event of France to set up the business convention called the Kuala Lumpur International Business Convention. Our interview with Talit today would be centred around the trade development between the US and Malaysia. Without further ado, let’s invite Talit to the show.
In this podcast, we discuss:
1. The sort of services Matrade provides to Malaysian businesses and entrepreneurs?
2. What are some of the notable projects that Matrade has helped facilitate among Malaysian businesses in the US to date?
3. What are some of the mistakes that Malaysian entrepreneurs make that hold them back from breaking into the US market?
4. Has COVID-19 put a dent in the international trade between Malaysia and the US?
5. Her proudest career moment to date.
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Selling Unknown Products
Welcome to another live session brought to you exclusively by DailyStraits.com. We have a very interesting topic to discuss today with two esteemed entrepreneurs from both sides of the Tasman on the tips and tricks on selling new products. From Australia, we have Kate Lalak, a writer, business strategist and CEO and founder of Cloud Nine Global, a corporate gifting agency based in Sydney, while our guest from Auckland, New Zealand is Lucy Wildman, the founder of children’s fashion brand Little Flock of Horrors. Both our guests today would be talking about how they managed to get a market for their products when no one knew of it with each guest providing pointers in their respective domains.
Among the things discussed in this session are:
When should an entrepreneur start hiring professional publicists for their business? The deal with product reviews. Are they important to have? The best time to start drumming interest in a newly yet-to-be-released product and more.Without further ado, let’s watch and listen to the interview here:
#entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #selling #tipsandtricks #tips #newzealand #sydney #auckland #australia #dailystraits #dailystraitsdotcom #katelalak #lucywildman #juneramli
Podcast: Gwendolyn Regina Tan of BNB Chain
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Singapore-based Gwendolyn Regina Tan who leads BNB's Chain of investments. Launched last year, BNB Chain aims to bring one billion crypto users onboard, boosting the adoption of the BNB Chain and the wider blockchain industry. Tan’s main responsibilities include streamlining processes around deal sourcing, investment strategy, portfolio management and growth. As part of her role, she invests in promising projects in the web3 and MetaFi space, GameFi, SocialFi, NFTs etc, and she also leads the Most Valuable Builder incubation program, which she set up. Tan has spent 16 years across media, technology, blockchain, and web3 sectors across the Asia Pacific, Paris, and Silicon Valley. Our chat with Tan today would be revolved around the fund she heads and other matters.
In this podcast we discuss:
BNB’s Chain connection with Binance.
The onboarding of a billion users onto BNB's Chain.
Her thoughts on the metaverse and much more.
Without further ado, let’s listen to and watch the interview here:
#binance #bnbchain #crytocurrency #crytocurrencyvideos #sydney #startups #singapore #dailystraits #dailystraitsdotcom #podcast #podcasting #gwendolyn #juneramli
Podcast: Bikesh Lakhmichand of 1337 Ventures
Helping The Underdogs
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Kuala Lumpur-based Bikesh Lakhmichand the founding partner of 1337 Ventures - Malaysia’s first Accelerator programme that has invested in over 60 innovative digital startups to date.
Besides helping to discover, validate and transform high-potential startups into businesses of the future, Bikesh is also actively involved in helping Malaysian corporates digital transform their organizations and advance the professional careers of their employees.
Besides 1337 Ventures, Bikesh is also the co-founder of iTrain, Southeast Asia’s leading digital technology powerhouse that has empowered over 3,000 corporate employees in advanced digital technologies and Leet Capital, one of the 10 licensed equity crowdfunding platforms that are helping SMEs and startups grow via alternative funding.
Our chat with Bikesh would revolve around where and how Malaysian early-stage startups and companies can access funding in Malaysia.
In this podcast we discuss:
Why did Bikesh make it his mission in life to help Malaysian startups to seek funding?
How or where do 1337 Ventures get the funding to give out early-stage funds to Malaysian startups? And how much can you fund each applicant/startup?
Who or what some companies/ sectors have 1337 Ventures provided funding for to date?
Without further ado, let’s watch and listen to the interview here.
#Startups #Malaysia #Business #Career #Entrepreneurship #Entrepreneurs #Jobs #Funding #KualaLumpur #1337Ventures #DailyStraits #Money #BikeshLakhmichard #JuneRamli #Podcast #Podcasting #Sydney #Australia #Interviews
Australian Made Week June 6-12
Support Australian Made Week to cash in on economic benefits
During Australian Made Week (6–12 June), shoppers and businesses will be urged to seek out and buy genuine Aussie products bearing the trusted green-and-gold kangaroo logo to support the country’s makers and growers, as well as safeguard against access and supply issues illuminated by the pandemic.
A new advertising campaign will highlight how choosing local products and produce makes a huge difference for local employment and businesses, including family-owned commercial catering equipment manufacturer Luus Industries in Melbourne’s west, where part of the Australian Made Week television commercial was filmed.
According to KPMG’s 2021 Family Business Survey, 67 per cent of all businesses in Australia are family-owned and operated, with more than half of the nation’s workforce employed by a family business.
Australian Made Week 2022 follows on from the huge success of last year’s inaugural campaign that prompted more than 70 per cent of Aussies to increase their efforts to prioritise local product purchases.
The same Roy Morgan survey found that nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of participants are concerned about the number of products sold in Australia that are made overseas.
Australian Made Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro, said Australian Made Week was a great time to draw attention to the benefits of buying local.
Consumers can learn more about Australian Made Week and find genuine Aussie products at www.australianmadeweek.com.au.
Podcast: Sami Chlagou of Cross the Ages
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com.
Our guest this time around is Paris-based gaming industry veteran Sami Chlagou who is the CEO and founder of five international game development studios, including Pixel Heart, which has produced more than 50 video games for various platforms such as Nintendo, Sony, XBOX, Steam and Android.
Some of these games include popular titles such as Guns of Mercy, Finding Teddy and Playroom Racer, which alone has reached more than 1.5 million downloads.
Chlagou is a lifelong fan of trading cards and collectables and has expanded this passion into the NFT space with both his collections and the integral design of Cross the Ages.
Our chat with Chlagou today would revolve around the topic of creating best selling video games from the paper concept right up to a finished product.
#SamiChlagou #CrossTheAges #PixelHeart #FindingTeddy #Playroom #GunsOfMercy #Nintendo #Sony #XBOX #Steam #Android #iOs #Gaming #Games #Paris #France #America #Asia #Australia #Sydney #JuneRamli #DailyStraits
Podcast: Richard Conway of Pure SEO
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com.
Our guest is Auckland-based Richard Conway who is an entrepreneur, mentor and investor and advisor for a range of high tech businesses.
Having founded Pure SEO in 2009, as an ethical SEO specialist search agency tailored toward SME businesses, it is now one of the fastest-growing independent digital specialist search agencies in New Zealand.
Pure SEO started with $200 and 13 years later has since been named in Deloitte’s Asia Pacific fastest-growing 500 technology companies for seven consecutive years and Deloitte’s Fast 50 2014 and 2015.
Conway has grown the company to three Pure SEO offices across New Zealand, Australia and The Philippines.
In 2012 wanting to connect with like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs, Conway joined the Accelerator Programme, through the Entrepreneurs Organisation NZ.
Through the organisation, Conway had the opportunity to join other tech professionals for a weekend with Richard Branson on Necker Island.
In 2014, Conway sold a share of Pure SEO to Ian Malcolm and Tony Falkenstein affording business growth.
So, without further ado, let's watch this interview which was recorded on May 6, 2022.
#SEO #PureSEO #RichardConway #Auckland #NewZealand #Entrepreneur #Business #Businessman #Leader #RichardBranson #NeckerIsland #NZ #Career #UnitedKingdom #British #JuneRamli #DailyStraits #Sydney #Australia
Podcast: Datuk Yasmin Mahmood Of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
Climbing To The Top In Stilettos
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Kuala Lumpur-based Datuk Yasmin Mahmood. Yasmin has a highly distinguished career, spanning three decades, during which time she has worked with various technology giants including Hewlett Packard and Dell. In 2006, she became Microsoft Malaysia’s Managing Director and in 2014, was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corp Sdn Bhd (MDEC) and was instrumental in the region’s digital economic transformation. She also served in various non-executive roles in prominent establishments including the national postal and courier company, POS Malaysia as Chairperson and much more. Apart from being Chair of Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Board of Directors, Yasmin is also the Managing Partner of FutureReady Consulting.
Among the things discuss in this podcast are:
Are STEM jobs difficult and demanding?
What makes a candidate ideal to a headhunter?
Tips on how women should negotiate their salaries?
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
#STEM #tech #MDEC #WomenInTech #Malaysia #KualaLumpur #CareerAdvice #YasminMahmood #DailyStraits #Podcast #Podcasting #Interview #CareerAdvice #CareerTips #HowToAceThatJob #HerriottWattUniversity #HWUM #Scotland #Dubai
Podcast: Datuk Vinod Sekhar of Petra Group
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Malaysian businessman Datuk Dr Vinod Sekhar who is the Chairman and CEO of PETRA Group, a global conglomerate involved in sustainable technologies, manufacturing, infrastructure, media, entertainment, agriculture, lifestyle, research and philanthropy.
Through his vision and leadership, the PETRA Group applies the concept of social capitalism to all of its businesses – being profitable whilst ensuring sustainable wealth creation for the betterment of all.
To date, Datuk Vinod has successfully developed Green Rubber which uses globally patented DeLink technology, and for the first time ever, allows tyres to become a renewable resource. With over 1.5 billion rubber tyres being discarded each year, Green Rubber is capable of erasing one of the world’s biggest environmental threats.
Besides these businesses, Datuk Vinod is also a big boss for Malaysia's fastest growing news website -The Vibes.
In this podcast we discuss:
How did his journey in entrepreneurship begin?
How does he do his due diligence before venturing into any businesses?
Why he got into the news business and started Vibes and more.
Without further ado, let’s watch and listen to the no holds barred interview here.
#PetraGroup #DatukVinodSekhar #VinodSekhar #GreenRubber #TheVibes #Malaysia #Malaysian #Millionaire #BruceWillis #Entrepreneur #Businessman #Petra #Podcast #Podcasting #DailyStraits #DailyStraitsDotCom #JuneRamli #KualaLumpur #interview #business #ceo
Podcast: Kristy and Bryce of "Quit Like A Millionaire"
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guests today are Canadian authors Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung of the book 'Quit Like A Millionaire.’ Published in 2019, Kristy and Bryce's maiden book has taught many on how one can ditch the rat race and retire early all by investing their earnings in what is known as ETFs or exchange-traded funds. This couple made world headlines for doing just that and subsequently quitting their full-time jobs at 31 to travel the world as millionaires whilst at the same time rejecting homeownership. They are also huge advocates of the financial independence retire early (FIRE) movement. FIRE is a movement consisting of people who are devoted to a program of extreme savings and investments which then allows the follower to retire far earlier than traditional budgets or retirement plans would permit them to do. Without further ado, let's watch the pre-recorded interview here.
#FIRE #FireMovement #FinancialIndependence #RetireEarly #FI #PersonalFinance #Finance #Authors #Canada #Australia #Malaysia #Thailand #Croatia #Podcast #Podcasting #StockMarkets #ETFs #Funds #ExchangeTradedFunds #ShareMarkets #Money #Millionaire #CashIsKing #China #Blogger #KristyAndBryce #KristyShen #BryceLeung #JuneRamli #DailyStraits #DailyStraitsDotCom
Visiting Iran A Chance To Get Rid Of Misconceptions
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Tehran-based journalist and travel writer Simin Saghafi. I met Simin several years ago as a reporter during a work to Iran. My first impression of the country was that its people were stunning and that its tourist areas such as Persepolis had a lot to offer. So, our topic today is going to be about turning a passion such as travel into a business. If you follow Simin’s social media pages like I do, you’d know that she is a successful travel writer as well as an accomplished travel agent who specialises in the Iranian market both inbound and outbound wise. Before COVID hit, Simin was employed by a Balinese travel agency whose job was to specialise in bringing Iranian tourism to Bali. But our discussion today is going to be solely centred around Simin as a businesswoman and her tips to those wanting to make their first trip to Iran. Without further ado, let’s invite Simin to the show.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What are some of the places that Iranian tourists like to visit? Are Iranian tourists big spenders? Where are some of the countries that Iranians love to visit the most? What sort of preparation should one take before visiting Iran? What are some of the best places - tourist spots to visit while in Iran? Do women tourists still need to wear the headscarf while in Iran? Best times to visit Iran.Without further ado, let’s watch the interview here that was recorded on March 31 this year:
NSW weather update
NSW weather update for Wednesday (April 6, 2022) by Senior Meteorologist Sarah Scully.
What Aussie Households Buy
Sydney, April 6: Australia Post has today released its 2022 Inside Australian Online Shopping Report which gives exclusive insight into the latest Australian eCommerce trends and estimates growth in online purchases in 2021 was up 12.3 per cent when compared to 2020, and almost double the pre-pandemic level.
More than four in five Australian households shopped online during 2021, spending $62.3 billion1 on physical goods, driving the online share of total retail to 19.3 per cent2.
Australia Post Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Paul Graham, said the pandemic brought about a fundamental shift in the way Australians live, work and shop, and that online shopping is now a mainstay for Australian families when purchasing everything from clothing to day-to-day household items.
Below are pre-recorded radio grabs featuring Australia Post Head of eCommerce Data Analytics, Rose Yip.
Severe Thunderstorms Expected In NSW
Sydney, March 24: Severe thunderstorms and moderate to heavy rainfall likely for parts of New South Wales
Parts of eastern New South Wales, extending into the northern and central inland, can expect widespread rainfall over the coming days as a moist onshore flow interacts with a surface trough and upper-atmospheric low. Localised heavy rainfall is possible, particularly with thunderstorms, which may also bring gusty winds and large hail.
Rainfall is not expected to cause significant or widespread flooding like that experienced earlier in March.
The Bureau's Hazard, Preparedness and Response Manager for NSW, Ailsa Schofield said while most communities will see moderate rainfall accumulations during the next week, the higher totals are more likely to come with thunderstorms that are expected to be more isolated than widespread. Thunderstorm activity will continue throughout Thursday and over the weekend.
Rainfall totals of around 20-30mm a day are possible in parts of the east and northwest inland for the coming week, particularly between Wollongong and the south-east Queensland border. There is a chance of 30-40mm of rain across the Mid North Coast each day until Sunday, with showers into next week.
It will also be cooler than average for this time of year but will remain fairly humid.
A Flood Watch, which notes the potential for flooding based on the forecast rainfall, notes that minor flooding is possible for some catchments along the North Coast and Mid North Coast from Thursday.
A Flood Watch is current for the Bellinger, Nambucca and Upper Macintyre rivers with potential for minor flooding in these areas.
An Initial Moderate Flood Warning has been issued for the Wollombi Brook at Bulga, where minor flooding is expected Thursday evening, and moderate flooding may occur Friday morning.
With catchments remaining saturated from recent rainfall events, there is an increased risk of flash flooding and riverine rises with potential for minor flooding for parts of the Mid North Coast, and areas around the Hunter and Northern rivers.
Communities should be prepared for weather impacts and are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings on the Bureau's website and BOM Weather app, and to follow the advice of emergency services.
News - Severe Thunderstorms Expected
Sydney, March 23: Severe thunderstorms are expected across New South Wales and may bring widespread moderate rainfall to previously flood-impacted areas in New South Wales, from Wednesday and into the weekend.
Thunderstorms are possible for north-eastern New South Wales over the coming days.
Localised heavy rain, gusty winds and hail are all possible.
With catchments remaining saturated from recent rainfall events, there is an increased risk of flash flooding and renewed river rises. This is particularly true for areas of the Hunter, Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers.
Water from inland Queensland is still moving south into northern New South Wales along the Birrie, Bokhara and Narran rivers.
Along the Narran River, moderate flooding is currently occurring at Angledool.
This may reach major flood levels on the weekend. A Flood Watch has been issued, noting minor flooding may occur from Thursday along the Bellinger and Kalang, Nambucca and Upper Macintyre (Severn) rivers.
Landslips and fallen trees are also possible due to recent flooding. Communities should be prepared for flood impacts and are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings on the Bureau's website and BOM Weather app, and to follow the advice of emergency services.
Audio news grabs feature the voice of Senior Meteorologist Jonathan How.
Podcast: Exclusive With Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
By June Ramli
Seri Kembangan, March 21: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had held the top job as the nation’s premier not once but twice in his lifetime. But did you know that before him holding the premiership post, Dr Mahathir himself was a very successful physician in Alor Setar, Kedah and according to his Wikipedia page, he was the town’s first Malay doctor with his own practice. While serving as a physician he had built a large house, invested in various businesses, and even employed a driver to chauffeur him around in his Pontiac Catalina. In our latest career spotlight piece, I sat down virtually with Dr Mahathir to find out why he decided to leave his cushy job as a doctor and pivot into politics and whether the top job of being a Prime Minister had always been the end goal of his career change. In this exclusive interview with DailyStraits.com, Dr Mahathir tells us how he broke the news of wanting a career change to his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and whether he feels that the premiers in Malaysia should be commensurated more to be in the same ranks as their Singaporean counterpart. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Sole Traders Optimistic but ...
Sydney, March 14: Australia’s sole traders are moving past the bulk of the economic damage and uncertainty wreaked by COVID-19 with new data showing confidence is on the rise.
But the Delta and Omicron waves have come at the cost of mental health, as excessive red tape and expensive - and time consuming - tax filings as well as a burdensome tax rate present additional headaches for sole traders.
The Hnry Sole Trader Pulse, conducted in the first week of March, recorded a 13 per cent boost in sole trader sentiment compared with October, a period when the nation was still contending with border closures, on the cusp of the Omicron outbreak and a further wave of long lockdowns lay ahead.
Sole traders in NSW reported a 22.5 per cent in overall sentiment, indicating that the NSW Government’s decision to press ahead with opening up as well as a falling or steady rate of Covid cases are having a positive effect on business optimism.
This compares to a 17 per cent increase in Victoria and a nine per cent increase in Queensland.
Conducted by Resolve Strategic between 28 February and 6 March, the Hnry Sole Trader Pulse is Australia’s only regular and reliable survey of independent earners with an ABN, such as tradies, freelancers, and consultants. The research is carried out on behalf of fintech Hnry, Australasia’s largest and fastest-growing digital accountancy service catering expressly to sole traders.
The rise in reported confidence for the nation’s independent earners – a fast growing and crucial sector of the national economy – was juxtaposed by less rosy news.
Podcast: Melcom Copeland of WadzPay
Welcome to another episode with 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today we speak to WadzPay’s Group Head of Market Development for Blockchain Payments – Melcom Copeland. Copeland has over 20 years of customer-centric emerging technology solutions development and operations experience across B2B E-Marketplace, CRM, Gaming, Cryptocurrency, and Fintech sectors. Copeland spent 13-years of his career as an entrepreneur and founder of BetXTech, a boutique B2B software solutions company focused on delivering high-frequency, high-availability omnichannel sports betting, betting exchange, virtual games, and casino payments solutions to operators in the UK, Europe, Asia, and Africa. His experience entails the commercialisation and deployment of gaming solutions to market-leading clients such as Betfair, Genting Star Cruises and Resorts World, Aristocrat Online, Rank Group Grosvenor Casino, Nepal Recreation Centers (Casino Nepal), Senegal National Lottery, Sportradar, Regency Casino, and more. Before WadzPay, Copeland spent the last four years working exclusively in the blockchain, cryptocurrency, and fintech space, providing his services to AmaZix, Pundi X Labs, Blockchains LLC while specialising in the digital payments and digital assets space. Our chat with Copeland will revolve around all-things non-fungible token (NFTs) related and the whole ecosystem per se surrounding this type of blockchain.
In this podcast we discuss:
How well are NFTs regulated?
What are some of the most trusted platforms for NFTs?
The future of NFTs?
Without further ado, let’s listen the interview here:
Podcast: Tessa Shaw of Waiheke Walking Trust
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is New Zealand-based, Waiheke Walking Trust Chair, Tessa Shaw. The Waiheke Trust is a charitable organisation that hosts the Waiheke Walking Festival and manages the Walk Waiheke website, a site that offers walking and accommodation packages.
With a passion for Waiheke Island and walking on the island, Tessa now encourages other entrepreneurs and corporate high-flyers like her to turn their passions into charitable endeavours.
In this podcast we discuss:
Why Waiheke Island and why walking? How does one start a not-for-profit business in New Zealand? Are grants hard to get for not-for-profit organisations?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Christopher Clarke of Kokoswap
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Dubai-based Christopher Clarke, the newly appointed CEO at Kokoswap. Clarke is a unique individual who comes from a sporting background, specifically professional English football, having had a successful career with well-known teams like Wolverhampton, Wanderers and Blackpool.
He founded Kokoswap in January this year which is a unique platform which combines existing and upcoming features of NFT trades and blockchain gaming. It consists of a invite-only celebrity NFT platform, a state of the art decentralised gaming marketplace and a robust staking platform. It is a one-stop place for users to stake crypto, buy digital assets and play exciting decentralised games.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What made him want to start Kokoswap? What does he read to keep up with all things NFTs? His opinion on why some people think that NFTs are all a sham and more.Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Steve Pirie of Wonder & Wander
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is New Zealand-based entrepreneur Steve Pirie, the founder of Wonder & Wander. Steve is a serial entrepreneur who started working on his ventures at the tender age of 19. His naturally curious mind has led him to co-found and sell many successful businesses including Unleashed Travel (named by BRW as one of Australia’s 100 fastest growing startup businesses in 2011 and 2012), Nurture Change, Nurture Her and UnpluggedFiji.
Recently, Steve has fused his passion for events, mindset, education, travel, health and wellness at Wonder & Wander, an ecosystem created to inspire a new way of thinking and a new way of being. His company brings together innovation consulting, travel and learning.
His team collaborates with people and brands to unleash their most innovative ideas, events and experiences. Steve also offers ideation and growth strategy sessions to start-ups and established businesses in the travel, events and business space where companies hack their naturally curious mind to get ideas and connections for their business and their lives.
In this podcast, we discuss:
What got him interested in being an entrepreneur in the first place? His approach in dealing with failure? Why he decided to sell two successful businesses?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Podcast: Ahmad Fuad Osman Of Enrique de Malacca
By June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. This new show is slightly different from our usual chit chat about entrepreneurship and all things related to the business world. In this series, we would delve into Malay history and all things mythical. Before we get begin, let me explain how the idea of this show started. Well, it is all thanks to my debut novel “Daily Straits.” In that novel, I wrote about sorcery, which I know many Malaysian families can relate to. Growing up in beautiful Malaysia, hearing all these mystic stories is something that we were immune to. Looking back, almost every culture in Malaysia, be it the Indian, Malay and Chinese have had some kind of brush with the supernatural one way or the other which we find in abundance in old historical scripts. So, this podcast series aims to delve into the beliefs of ancient or traditional old stories such as The Malay Sultanate, fables of beautiful Malay princesses, their respective curses and so on – which I have some of weaved in my book. Our guest today is a Malaysian artist Ahmad Fuad Osman who is the curator of the very successful exhibition known as Enrique de Malacca Memorial Project. We have asked him to come to the show to tell us everything he found out about this mysterious historical figure.
In this podcast, Fuad discusses:
What made him want to start this project? How long did it take for him to compile all his findings before he could start exhibiting? Who is Enrique? Why is there very little mention of Enrique in Malaysian history books? His future plans in regards to this exhibition?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Mohd Nasrul Mohd Nasir of the Customs Museum
By June Ramli
If you’ve watched the Disney movie Raya, you would really be able to resonate with this latest podcast series that I’ve prepared for you.
In my recent interview with the Director of the Customs Museum from Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia, our topic of discussion was centre around well… dragons. Now let me explain, why did a business site like ours decide to do a piece on dragons? Well… I recently wrote a novel titled Daily Straits. Though the book is NOT about dragons it is however centred around the world of mysticism and Malay folklore with a tinge of Westernisation weaved into it as the book was set in Sydney and a small town in Malaysia known as Tronoh. After having the urge to write a novel for the last eight years and not doing so due to a serious bout of reasons (read: procrastination), I finally disciplined myself enough in the last year or so to complete my novel at the height of the pandemic while we were all under lock and key. I am please to announce that my debut novel has been done and dusted and is now available for purchase on Amazon. But due to my busy schedule I’ve failed to do the most important thing that every independent author should do and that is to promote the book. And so here I am trying very hard to market the book. I’ve decided to skip the fanciful Zoom parties that most authors do these days to promote their literature and have gone on a different trajectory that is to interview experts and artists who can give us a glimpse of our rich ancient history and Malay folklore through podcast interviews such as these. With that in mind and to kick-start the series, my very first guest today is the Director of the Customs Museum in Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia Mohd Nasrul Mohd Nasir – who is going to give us a lowdown on all things dragons or naga as the Malays call it which apparently according to him was a pretty evident feature in the Nusantara (Malay) culture during ancient times. Although our interview was recorded in Malay, the team at DailyStraits.com have taken time to translate one of Nasrul’s research papers about dragons in English and we have placed the article at the bottom part of this interview. So, for now without further ado, let’s us listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Stanley Henry of The Attention Seeker
By June Ramli
The Power Of LinkedIn
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is New Zealand-based Stanley Henry of The Attention Seeker.
The Attention Seeker is a digital marketing agency focusing exclusively on LinkedIn for B2B reputation building and lead generation.
Launched in 2019, The Attention Seeker has rapidly become a leading agency to execute digital influence and reputation in B2B relations.
Co-founded by Stanley Henry, a former General Manager and F&B Director with over 15 years experience from which he has developed deep expertise as well as skills in the service delivery industry.
LinkedIn is set apart from other social media platforms, as it is the predominant site for B2B connections.
It was originally founded as a recruitment site before it was sold to Microsoft in June 2016.
Today, there are over 660 million LinkedIn members worldwide.
LinkedIn has evolved to become a critical business channel for enhancing company and professional reputation, for communicating thought leadership, sharing a business journey, and increasing the visibility of brands.
In September 2019, 40.8 per cent of all New Zealanders were on LinkedIn, translating to just over two million users.
In Australia, over 37 per cent of the population, or 10 million people are registered users, with more than half logging in every month to the site.
In this podcast we discuss:
• The importance of focusing on LinkedIn?
• Why should organisations consider hiring a professional marketing agency to manage their LinkedIn accounts?
• The benefits of becoming a LinkedIn Influencer?
• Tips on managing your own LinkedIn account?
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Kalimullah Hassan Of ECM Libra
By June Ramli
Malaysia’s Rupert Murdoch
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, I have a special guest to introduce you to – my former boss Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan, who also happens to be the chairman of ECM Libra, a public-listed company, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kalimullah began his career as a journalist in 1979 in Penang before going on to work with big news agencies such as the Singapore Straits Times and Reuters.
He was a correspondent and journalist till 1995 after which he decided to venture into the business world.
It was in 2002 that he and his two partners started a boutique investment advisory firm and four years later it evolved into ECM Libra Investment Bank.
He remains as a non-Executive Chairman of the group which is now an investment holding company owning a chain of hotels together with their long-term partners – Air Asia owners Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun.
Other than leading his own company, some of Datuk Seri’s notable gigs in the past include being appointed as the chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency Bernama in September 2002 and in January 2004 as the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of Malaysia’s oldest newspaper, the New Straits Times Press Berhad.
After leaving the EIC post in 2005, Kalimullah remained as the Deputy Chairman of the paper up till December 31, 2008.
Since then, he has authored a book titled: “The Malaysia That Could Be” which was published in 2015.
So, without further ado, let’s bring Kalimullah to the show and ask him how he transitioned himself from a journalist into a high-flying corporate person he is today.
In this podcast we discuss:
How did his involvement in journalism start? What were some of the hurdles he faced in starting an investment bank? Was it easy to get a banking licence and hire relevant talent? Did his contacts at the papers help him with the setting up of ECM Libra? The best way to choose business partners? His advice to journalists wanting to quit the profession and start their own businesses?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
The Adoption of Cobots
By James McKew
The retail landscape has transformed dramatically from the continuous digitalisation of the industry, exacerbated by the onslaught of the pandemic. Consumers in the Asia Pacific are now increasingly connected digitally with a shift in their buying habits, and are now more at ease clicking on smartphones to purchase all manners of products, than to visit offline shops and malls.
Statista reported more than a 20 percent rise of the average online spending in the Asia Pacific from 2019 to 2020. The rise in multiple marketplaces in Asia Pacific such as JD, Taobao, Lazada, Tokopedia and Shopee are testimony to this flourishing trend in retail and e-commerce.
With the evolution of retail emerged new opportunities in related industries, such as a growing pie of warehouses, distribution centres (DCs), and fulfilment centres (FCs), and in turn, these industries seeking productivity and automation capabilities.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com.
DIY Tips For An Endemic
By Prof Dr James Koh Kwee Choy
Judging from the reported number of COVID-19 positive cases in Malaysia and around the world, the task to bring infections down to zero is near impossible.
In all honesty, we are all battle-weary since the pandemic started 18 months ago.
COVID-19 may never go away.
But we can live with it, turning this pandemic into something less threatening.
Perhaps this could be the way forward given the impressive vaccination rate in Malaysia, which is key in reducing the risk of infection as well as transmission.
Social responsibility such as practising good hygiene and being considerate to one another such as staying away from crowds when unwell is critical as well.
Another aspect is also to minimise the spread of the transmission if you’ve come in contact with someone positive.
To do this, self-testing and home isolation are two important strategies. Today, people can get themselves tested readily by using fast and easy tests. If positive, they can then confirm it with a more accurate testing method and isolate themselves to recover at home, stopping the spread there and then. Even if you test negative, it is best to remain in home isolation for at least 10 days. Recovery at home is possible because, with vaccination, the symptoms are mostly mild. This will at least give our healthcare system some breathing space so the more serious cases can get the medical attention they need.
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
Money Making Period Cups
Exclusive
By June Ramli
We recently sat down with Kimberli Schuitman, the founder of MyCup.Co.NZ. and My Cup Menstrual Cups. Whilst running her other businesses, Kimberli started collecting menstrual cups from all over the world, to gift and share with friends before setting up her very own menstrual cup business in 2014. Her business website was established with a clear purpose – to be people-oriented and not brand-centric. Kimberli’s vision for MyCup was to create a space for all genders to visit and discuss periods where no one would be uncomfortable. When it was first launched her website was unique and provided a point of difference, selling multiple products and brands with an advice channel. Since setting up her business, Kimberli’s vision remains the same, that is to encourage women to get comfortable with their bodies and normalise talking about periods. In this exclusive interview with DailyStraits.com, we ask Kimberli where she got the idea for her brand and some of the challenges she faced in starting her business.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
In The Face Of Adversity
By Eric Cheng
It has been an interesting six years building Carsome into what we are today. We have been on a journey to digitise Southeast Asia’s used car industry and elevate the car buying and selling experience through innovation and technology.
Over the years, we faced many challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic brought along a new set of obstacles. Most of us would know people who are struggling, be it financially, mentally or physically in these hard-hitting times. I have been lucky to meet so many people from all walks of life through my role at Carsome, and I’d like to believe that we are doing our utmost best in each encounter to help those we met.
Carsome was built based on this idea to help consumers have a better experience when buying and selling cars. Ultimately, we want to support people to move forward in their lives, even if it means helping those in need and believing that we can make a difference by supporting the community in meaningful ways. We want to be part of a thriving community that beats the odds together.
Read the rest of the story at DailyStraits.com.
Meet Our Sellers
By June Ramli
Sydney, August 28: It has been some months since we started our marketplace Tapiroo.com and the good news is that there has been some progress. We have set up a website and have even three sellers currently trading with us including yours truly. So, in this article, we would like to introduce our sellers to our readers, and in fact, we aim to do little write-ups like this for every one of our sellers that trade with us in due course.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com.
Podcast: Kate Meads of Waste Free with Kate & Co.
By June Ramli
From The Nappy Lady to a Waste Enthusiast
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Kate Meads (pictured above) of Waste Free with Kate & Co. Based in Tauranga, New Zealand, whose business is centred around waste education. Kate’s crusade in waste education started as a first-time mum wanting to save money through her cloth nappy importing business in 2006. Inherently, she began to understand the waste reduction benefits that reusable nappies had to offer. She ran what was to be her first Parenting Workshop in the 2007 on reusable nappies in Hamilton, who were seeing alarming statistics at landfill level, from single-use nappies. In 2013, Kate sold and stepped away from her online reusable nappy business and The Nappy Lady to focus solely on waste minimisation education. Fast forward to this year, Kate is now a consultant, a keynote speaker and a motivational speaker for waste minimisation education, which sees her presenting her ideas to 30-500 per session. In a year, Kate talks to 1,000 people via community engagement programs, keynote speaking and business motivation. Her change enabler business has expanded to include an additional skilled educator leading to a rebrand last year to Waste Free with Kate & Co.
In this podcast, Kate discusses:
What sparked her interest in waste education management? What was her day job before starting your business? How many people attended her first parenting workshop in 2016?Without further ado let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Pablo Kraus of Ecostore
By June Ramli
Becoming The Next Aldi
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. In this episode, we break away from our usual entrepreneurial chit-chat and speak to the managing director of Ecostore New Zealand, Pablo Kraus (pictured above).
Ecostore is the leading environmental and sustainable brand in New Zealand that focuses on home, body and baby products. In 1993, Malcolm and Melanie Rands started an ecostore in a small New Zealand eco-village as they were on a mission to help families care for their homes, their health and the world. Wanting to support this mission, the Kraus family initially became involved with the business in 2003, before completing an ownership transfer in 2015.
Fast forward to today, the company is now helmed by Pablo who was born in Germany and raised in Auckland. Pablo initially worked as a web developer for five years in Vancouver, Canada before joining his family’s business PK Group in 2014 and eventually taking over the reins of the company from thereon.
In this episode Pablo discusses
1) His initial reaction when his father asked him to be a part of the business?
2) As a former creative what was the first thing he did to learn a thing or two about running a business?
3) Challenges faced in running a business during COVID-19?
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Chris Humphrey of EU-ASEAN Business Council
By June Ramli
ASEAN The Next EU?
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. In this episode, we break away from our usual entrepreneurial chit-chat and speak to Chris Humphrey (pictured above), the Executive Director, EU-ASEAN Business Council. Chris began his varied professional career as a UK Civil Servant where, amongst other things, he was a Private Secretary to a Minister and an Air Services Trade Negotiator covering the Asia Pacific Region.
After leaving the government sector, Chris moved to the private sector working initially in the government and external relations teams at two British airlines, before moving to Shanghai, China with Virgin Atlantic where he headed up the airline’s China operation and oversaw the rapid expansion of their business in China.
Chris has now been in Singapore for over a decade and has been running the EU-ASEAN Business Council since its formal inception in 2014, where he has overseen a 325 per cent increase in its membership and helped make the Business Council the foremost business body for European industry in ASEAN.
In this episode Chris discusses:
What does the EU-ASEAN Business Council do? Why was the council formed? What are some of the challenges that councils have faced in doing business in Asean countries to date, especially with the pandemic still in full swing?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Rebecca Percasky of Better Packaging Co
By June Ramli
Saving The World Through Sustainable Packaging
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com.
Our guest today is Auckland-based entrepreneur Rebecca Percasky, the co-director and a co-founder of Better Packaging Co.Rebecca and her business partner Kate Bezar started the company together in 2017 and in four years have grown the company from strength to strength.
Rebecca was also recently been named the South Asia and Oceania sector winner for the Cartier Women’s Initiative, in which she won a cool NZD 137,000 prize money. She was also the first Kiwi to have won such an accomplishment.
Her company, the Better Packaging Co. is fast becoming New Zealand’s most trusted source of sustainable packaging that services over 52 countries including Australia, the United States of America, Asia and the United Kingdom.
Without further ado, let’s invite Rebecca to the show and ask her all there is in wanting to start a successful business such as hers.
In this podcast, Rebecca discusses:
How did she transition into the packaging industry from her previous job? Best methodologies taken by her in looking for a business partner? What was the first thing she did to get her company going?Let’s listen to the interview here:
The Impacts Of COVID-19 To Refugees
A study has explored the mental health impact of COVID-19 on refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
Should the COVID-19 Vaccine Impact your Surgery Schedule?
Dr Mohamad Fadhil Hadi (pictured) Consultant Anaesthesiologist & Critical Care at ALTY Orthopedic Hospital shares more information on the effects of getting vaccinated before or after a medical procedure based on his expertise.
Read the full piece at DailyStraits.com
In Two Minds About Starting A Business?
By June Ramli
Have you always wanted to start a business but never had the gut to see it through?
Well, then you are in luck!
The team at DailyStraits.com has compiled a series of podcast videos and audio just for you. We have just uploaded all the videos on YouTube (or DailyStraitsdotcom) but some have not been published yet as the videos are still being edited.
Most of our series include a myriad of entrepreneurs from Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand who have put aside their fears to start a venture from scratch and the good news is that they have all thrived and have no regrets pursuing entrepreneurship.
Specially Curated For The Fence Sitters
If you are keen to start a business but you are afraid to take the plunge then these videos are made just for you.
These are all free advice and all curated just for you! So, what are you waiting for? And oh while you are there, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel. That would help us greatly, too. Thank you!
Investing In Youth Development And STEM
By Jim Falteisek
The global COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we need the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) more than ever.
From the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine to new technologies, STEM has helped us overcome the various challenges the global pandemic has posed.
Most of us seem to agree.
According to 3M’s global science perception study, the State of Science Index 2021, nearly all surveyed in Asia-Pacific (APAC) agree the world needs more people pursuing STEM-related careers (91 per cent vs. 90 per cent globally).
To answer this call, governmental bodies and NGOs across the world are distributing free education materials and conducting online lessons for students most affected by the pandemic.
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
The Importance Of Qi For Nursing Mums
Kuala Lumpur, August 3: Most mothers-to-be would assume that when it comes to breastfeeding, the milk would flow effortlessly, and the process would be stress free for both mother and baby. Why would it not be when you read so many articles on how breastfeeding is a natural process and when other women share their positive experiences on social media lactation groups, supporting one another in the process?
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Debunking IVF Myths
Kuala Lumpur, August 3: Every couple’s fertility journey is different from the other, and some may have to turn to options such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) when other methods have not yielded its intended results.
Reasons for couples seeking out IVF treatment include unexplained infertility, where there are no definite causes in patients, blockage in the left and right fallopian tubes which hinder the sperm from meeting the ovum, ovulatory dysfunction and even defects in sperm quality and quantity. However, with the procedure and childbearing process being so widely depicted in various mediums – in television shows, movies and even articles – the information on IVF tends to get rather convoluted and hence may present a rather distorted perception of what the actual procedure is like.
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
Updates On Our Marketplace
By June Ramli
Hello, dear readers! Thank you for showing interest in our website DailyStraits.com thus far!
We are excited to be able to cater stories from a wide range of topics and are extremely happy to have attracted readers from all over the world.
Though new, our website has been packing a punch since our launch on Feb 27 and we have only our external partners, columnists and a lot of unsung heroes to thank for our website's continued development.
Being a newbie website, we recently underwent a rebranding exercise and had redesigned the whole website outlook from top to bottom.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Podcast: Lisa Booth of Kete Kai
By June Ramli
A Meal Kit With A Mission
Kia Ora! Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is a New Zealand-based entrepreneur Lisa Booth (pictured above).
Lisa is the founder and CEO of Kete Kai, Aotearoa’s most accessible food box — a business that was born out of her frustration with the current food system at the start of last year.
Lisa’s passion for people, community and learning was what drove Kete Kai’s core values, which were based upon redesigning food systems within New Zealand and creating a more affordable, sustainable and accessible option for families on a budget.
Her long-term vision is to be part of the change that accomplishes Kete Kai’s Kaupapa which is to end hunger in Aotearoa by 2030.
Among the things discussed in this podcast are:
How Lisa’s journey into entrepreneurship started? What motivated her to start Kete Kai? How is Kete Kai different from Hello Fresh and the other competitors?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Tips On Safeguarding Your IT Systems
Singapore, July 31: Last June 2020, Honda was forced to shut down two automotive plants due to a ransomware attack.
The company was quick to reassure the public that there had been no leakage of personally identifying data, like customer passwords or credit cards.
But the damage, both financial and reputational, had already done.
Today’s headlines are littered with news of cyber-attacks.
So much so that most of us barely notice anymore.
But the Honda attack seems to point to a sea change.
Instead of targeting IT systems first, then moving on to operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS), hackers are now hitting OT first.
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
A Husband’s Ultimate Sacrifice
Kuala Lumpur, July 30: It was a life-changing moment when 34-year-old Gordon Ling decided to give his wife a kidney − a gift that no amount of money can buy. There were no doubts or second thoughts as the decision was one made with love.
Sure, there were some concerns and unfavourable comments from family and friends. But Gordon’s mind was already made up as his only wish was to give the mother of his baby girl a better life.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Better User Experience Results In Business Success
KUALA LUMPUR, July 29: Getting to the crux of the matter is often something that is preached by many companies.
On the other hand, as the common business mantra goes, time is money and for that reason solving a problem as quickly as possible is usually the most tempting option, even if it only means a short-term reprieve.
However, this is just like pushing a pawn on a chessboard, wherein most circumstances it is the weakest move a company can make for their customer experiences, whether for external customers or internal customers.
Better user experiences mean money.
Customer and employee satisfaction, brand loyalty, conversion rates, churn reduction as well as staff productivity, always make businesses better and more profitable in the long run.
Imagine being an internet service provider with a call centre that is constantly ringing off the hook with numerous problems regarding disruption, bad service and so on.
Callers are often subjected to long waits over the phone, causing them to feel even more frustrated than they already are.
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
Shaping the Future of Urban Farming
By James McKew
Singapore, July 26: Food security is a perennial concern for Singapore, exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. Although Singapore has never been an agricultural nation, the government strives to address food security concerns in 2021 by ramping up local produce through innovative means. Singapore set a 30 percent target to meet Singapore's nutritional needs while buffering any food supply disruptions by 2030 through urban farming and agri-tech. What kind of technologies can be leveraged on? These would include artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and collaborative robots (cobots).
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Podcast: Elisha Watson of Nisa
By June Ramli
A Lingerie Line With A Twist
Kia Ora! Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes of DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is New Zealand-based entrepreneur Elisha Watson, the CEO and founder of Nisa, an underwear and leisurewear label which started trading in 2017.
Elisha got the idea to start her brand while working as a lawyer and volunteering with the Red Cross’ refugee resettlement programme.
Sharing a love of sewing with many of the women in the former refugee community, the idea of setting up a sewing workshop to provide employment opportunities took off from thereon.
Elisha later quit her job, set up a crowdfunding campaign, and then went about the process of hiring her first employee, buying machines and looking for a sunny space to base the workshop to start the brand.
She did all this while not having any fashion or industrial sewing experience at all!
So, today we are going to speak to Elisha on why she decided to start an underwear label and how one makes a profit through a social enterprise.
Among the things discussed in the podcast are:
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
How To Treat A Frozen Shoulder
By Datuk Dr Badrul Shah Badaruddin
Kuala Lumpur, July 24: By now, most Malaysians are probably well-adjusted to the whole working from home routine. Some parts of it may be enjoyable but other parts like aches and pain from a poorly set-up workspace – not so much. At ALTY Orthopaedic Hospital, we saw that shoulder pain is a common occurrence among patients, especially now where people are working from home and spending long hours in front of their devices.
Podcast: Toby Littin of Parkable
By June Ramli
Expanding to the US
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is New Zealand-based entrepreneur Toby Littin, the co-founder and CEO of Parkable.
Parkable is an app that acts as the 'Airbnb for parking', letting people or companies share their spare parking space with the community and helping people to find affordable parking in cities. It is also used by workplaces to manage their staff parking.
Founded by three persons including Toby, the company has been on a positive growth trajectory since its inception in 2015. For one, it has expanded its reach beyond the Tasman and into markets such as China and the UK.
Among things discussed in this podcast are:
1) What motivated Toby and the other founders to want to start a company?
2) With Impending lockdowns, has this put a dent in its business?
3) What are some of the expansion plans for the year?
Without further ado, let's listen to the interview here:
Serving Her Country As An Ambassador
By June Ramli
Chitra Devi Ramiah decided to follow her innate aspiration to be of service to her country.
Seemingly, a combination of sheer luck and blessings paved the path when timely opportunities continually presented itself.
Whether it was being in the right place at the right time or being optimistically opportunistic, making the transitions in her career seamless and jolt her to where she is today.
Chitra was a project manager in a foreign multinational company before entering public service.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Get More Women Involved In Leadership Roles
By June Ramli
Singapore, July 18: Despite the progress that has been made in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, women remain largely underrepresented in leadership positions in Asia - and the matter has worsened by the recent COVID-19 outbreak.
According to UN Women, only 20 percent of managers in Asia-Pacific today are women, and this figure is even lower for women in middle and senior management positions, at 17 per cent.
Striving to combat this, renowned hospitality management university Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) recently launched its Women in Leadership Initiative, to raise awareness, disseminating knowledge, exchanging experiences, and sharing best practices in initiating women-related projects. Since its launch in 2018, it has promoted social changes in EHL as well as in the broader hospitality sector by addressing topics such as leadership, inclusion and belonging; entrepreneurship for women; networking and mentoring opportunities, as well as family and work management.
The team at DailyStraits.com is fortunate to have EHL Campus (Singapore) managing director Jenny Ang to expand on the Women in Leadership Initiative and how it empowers women in the hospitality industry, as well as share insights into her own experience in becoming a leader.
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com.
Podcast: Greg Sheehan of Playbooks
By June Ramli
Leaving Nike And Starting Playbooks
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is another New Zealand-based entrepreneur Greg Sheehan (pictured above), who is the Founder and CEO of Playbooks.
PlayBooks is a B2B e-commerce platform that uses the “meeting” as the ultimate place of business guidance, decision making and purchase.
In other words, Playbooks makes meetings suck less by making them easy and fun through a super simple collaboration tool.
So, today we are gonna pick Greg’s brains and ask him everything about his business and some of his company’s expansion plans for the year.
Among the things discussed in this podcast are:
Without further ado, let's listen to the interview here.
Has a year of remote work wreck your back?
By June Ramli
Sydney, July 12: Lockdowns are a norm today - no thanks to COVID-19. In Sydney, a recent spike in cases has resulted in a total lockdown in the city with no end in sight.
While in Malaysia, the perennial Movement Control Order (MCO) has stopped people from living their best lives. With all these lockdowns, remote working has been more popular than ever.
In a recent study published by the International Journal of Health Sciences and Research, 70.5 per cent of individuals aged between 18-65-years-old have reported discomfort and pain, especially in the lower back and neck region as a result of working from home.
This information, while not surprising, is alarming as more and more professionals report increasing incidences of pain in the back and neck region.
Given the scenario above, DailyStraits.com has taken the initiative to interview Malaysian-based ALTY (Adding Life to Years) Orthopaedic Hospital Spine and Trauma Surgeon, consultant Orthopaedic Dr Lim Sze Wei (pictured above) on ways to look after one's spine and back health while working from home.
Here are some of his insights to our questions.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Podcast: Sonia McManus of Sonia Therese Design
By June Ramli
Kia Ora! Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is New Zealand-based entrepreneur Sonia McManus, the owner of Sonia Therese Design. After losing her previous business to the Christchurch earthquake in 2011, Sonia decided to look for a new path in life, prompting her fashion career to start abruptly. This self-taught designer learned the art of jewellery designing after watching countless YouTube videos whilst practising close to 40 hours a week to horn her skills. Her business has since grown from strength to strength from the early days and recently Sonia’s designs has received a lot of traction overseas. She has received various invites from the New York, Paris and London Fashion Week to exhibit her designs at the fair virtually this year. Our interview today with Sonia will delve into the methods she used to teach herself jewellery designing and how she marketed her business single-handedly from the start.
Some of the questions discussed in this podcast are:
How long did it take for you to master the art of jewellery designing? Who was your first customer? How did the overseas fashion invites to New York, Paris and London come about?Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Virus Mutation: A Matter Of Survival
Kuala Lumpur, July 10: The mention of mutation is enough to give us nightmares of viruses that evolve with the sole aim of killing mankind and taking over the earth.
But in reality, a virus’s main purpose of mutating is to seek coexistence with the human body.
'A virus mutates for survival, not to kill. It tries to adapt to the conditions of the human body, ' International Medical University (IMU) virologist and lecturer Dr Kenny Voon said.
'Humans are a reservoir for the virus. We help it to propagate more. It doesn’t want to kill us, the host. If the host dies, there is no co-existence. This is why its main aim is not to become more deadly,' he adds.
He explains that when a virus first jumps from one species to another we often see a high death rate. This is because the virus has not learnt to live within its new host.
'For example, the common cold was probably a virus that started infecting humans a long time ago and now it just coexists with us,' he said.
'Laboratory results, from a study that compared infectivity and virulence of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants in Syrian hamsters, show that while the COVID-19 virus has become more contagious, it has not become more deadly,' he says, although he does warn that this is an inference made from laboratory testing.
How the virus affects people in the real world can be different.
Case in point, the Delta (Indian) variant. This variant has been speculated to be more deadly because there have been more cases of death reported. However, in laboratory tests, the variant did not show up to be more deadly.
'We will only know once we have more data from community samples.'
Read the full article at DailyStraits.com
Calling Out All Creative Solopreneurs
By June Ramli
Are you a creative entrepreneur in need of some kind of help during these trying times? Well, if you are, then you are in luck cause we want to help you!
Being a creative entrepreneur takes guts, where you concentrate your entire time, working on your craft, and hoping that someone would pay you real money for it.
What are creative entrepreneurs you may ask? Well, they are usually solopreneurs who work on crafty things like painters, doodlers, artists, musicians, novelists, writers, illustrators, filmmakers and so on.
Please don’t confuse this series with The Pre Launch. In that series, we ask entrepreneurs to write about the journey of starting a business from scratch.
This new series called “Creatives” is slightly different, as it is more like a launchpad to help propel creative solopreneurs careers to greater heights or at the very least help them get more gigs.
In other words, this series is hoping to give you some free advertisements.
So, for creative entrepreneurs, here is what we need from you to make this series work.
Give us a short bio of yourself, no longer than five paragraphs and answer these six questions earnestly.
Here is a sample of the article that we want creative entrepreneurs to send to us and as usual I am gonna go with a plug featuring myself as a creative entrepreneur. This is a sample on the type of write-ups we are looking for.
A sample of a short bio:
My name is June Ramli and I am a creative entrepreneur with a special focus on writing long-form pieces such as novels.
To date, I have created Batik-inspired lingerie and boots, written four books including two picture books, created cartoon characters and a gaming app based on a traditional game from scratch.
These are all solo projects conducted on my own but the good news is that I can help you turn your dream projects into a reality, in other words I can project manage for you.
My expertise includes project management, finding the right people to work on the project for a nominal cost and of course completing a project in a set amount of time.
Questions that you need to answer to be a part of this series are:
What is my expertise? What inspires me? What have I created so far? What are my rates? What are my delivery times? What is my contact details?That’s it. Submission for our new series has no deadlines and this is an ongoing series. Please send all submission and two photos, one of yourself and one more of your work to editor@dailystraits.com.
Podcast - Steve Vlok of Celo
By June Ramli
Kia Ora! Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Steve Vlok an Auckland-based entrepreneur who founded Celo in 2014.
For those who are not in the know, Celo is an app that provides secure communication, collaboration and is a community platform created specifically for people in the healthcare industry.
In other words, Celo’s secure app makes it easier for those in the industry to communicate, resulting in better patient care.
So, today, we are gonna talk to Steve, who happens to be a former engineer and ask him why he decided to leave his career and venture out into the healthcare business. In this podcast, we will be speaking to Steve about:
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast -Bridgette Jackson of Equal Exes
By June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
Turning Heartache Into a Business Venture
Kia Ora!
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Bridgette Jackson (pictured above) – the founder and CEO of Equal Exes, a divorce service based out from Auckland, New Zealand.
She started her business online in November 2018 following a personal experience of having navigated her own divorce.
Besides being an entrepreneur, Bridgette is also a qualified lawyer and is now a divorce and settlement strategist, a certified divorce/separation coach with a post graduate dispute resolution qualification, and a certified mediator. So, today, we are gonna chat with Bridgette on why she decided to start such a service and all things related to her consultancy business
In the podcast we will discuss :
1) Are prenups necessary these days?
2) What are some of the things that former couples always fight about?
3) How does she monetize her business?
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Guide On Living With COVID-19
KUALA LUMPUR: It has been more than a year since the first Movement Control Order stopped us in our tracks and we are still learning about the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The more we get to know it, the better equipped we are to protect ourselves.
At the start of the pandemic, the virus was thought to spread through saliva when we speak, coughed or sneezed.
These droplets did not travel very far and that gave us a sense of safety that if we followed the social distancing protocols, wore masks and avoided direct contact, we would have been safe.
A year and a half later, this wisdom no longer holds water.
Most experts now agree that the virus is also airborne and this has been a game changer on how we can better protect ourselves.
For example, we were once obsessed with wiping down our groceries and spraying surfaces, we now know that surface transmission is less of a threat than the air we breathe.
Here, International Medical University (IMU), School of Medicine, Head of the Division of Medicine Prof Dr James Koh Kwee Choy (pictured above) explains to us some of the ways we can double up on protection.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
We Are Launching A Marketplace!
We are launching a marketplace. Expression of interest is now open! Read more at DailyStraits.com.
Podcast: Ben Gleisner of CoGo
EP 23- Ben Gleisner of CoGo
By June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
Leaving A Cushy Job For Entrepreneurship
Kia Ora! Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com where we pick the brains of an awesome entrepreneur across the Tasman- New Zealand.
Our guest today is Ben Gleisner, the founder and CEO of CoGo.
Ben is an economist, environmentalist and social entrepreneur who launched CoGo in 2018. He launched the business in London before moving back to his home country of New Zealand early last year.
For those of you who are not in the know, CoGo is an app that helps consumers make informed decisions when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint.
In other words, it empowers consumers with their data through an open banking technology, showing them their footprint, making easy recommendations on how they can lower it through various actions such as having a plant-based diet, buying second-hand goods or aligning their spending by showing them businesses that are taking action to reduce their impact on the environment.
CoGo is currently trading in New Zealand and the UK but has plans to expand to new markets with Australia being next on the list.
In this episode, we address what it is like to leave a cushy job to dabble into entrepreneurship, instead.
Some of the questions answered in this podcast are:
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview.
Career Spotlight: Encouraging Gender Diversity
By June Ramli
Despite the construction industry being open to diversity, women only make up about a tenth of the number. The construction industry is determined to promote gender diversity in its teams offering real opportunities for career development.
Women are now taking full advantage of opportunities offered by this industry that is facing difficulties in hiring employees with highly specialised profiles. Hirers are gradually changing their stance. One such trailblazer is Lynette Siow (pictured above), Saint-Gobain – Managing Director for Malaysia & Singapore who is seen taking that jump at not only being that talented craft professional. She is becoming a mentor, leader and advocate for future girls who seek an opportunity in the industry.
The construction workforce is evolving in many positive ways, especially as it actively embraces diversity and technology. Undeniably, a career in construction offers plenty of opportunities and benefits.
The most important thing companies can do is to create and provide a culture that is positive, supportive, and encourages personal and company-wide success. Companies have to set and actively enforce a culture that encourages all employees to treat each other with care and respect and to support one another in a positive, constructive manner every single day. Once that culture is in place, a lot of the traditional beliefs and stereotypes commonly associated with the industry goes away.
In this career profile piece, we dispel some of the myths that revolve around working in the construction industry, with Lynette giving us an honest insight into the industry through this interview.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Health: COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy
With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia currently underway, many pregnant women have this one important question in their mind – should they or should they not take it? Professor Nazimah Idris, Medical Director for IMU Healthcare (IMUH), a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the International Medical University (IMU) School of Medicine and as well as consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, clears the air about COVID-19 vaccines and its effect on your pregnancy.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
The Pre Launch: Siew Mei of Seniora
In today's pre launch series, we feature the trial and tribulations of what entrepreneur Siew Mei Chew went through to set-up her on-demand senior assistance service Seniora in Taiping, Malaysia which was inspired by a working holiday in New Zealand.
To read the full story, log on www.dailystraits.com
Podcast: Edward Loy of KONE Malaysia
By June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
Learning to Pivot
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we are gonna break away from our usual entrepreneurial chit chat and speak to a managing director (MD) of a public listed company instead. So, our first guest for this series is Edward Loy, the Managing Director of KONE Malaysia.
Founded in 1910, KONE is a publicly listed company headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The company builds and services moving walkways, escalators, elevators, automatic doors and gates.
It provides services for builders, developers, building owners, designers and architects in 1,000 offices in over 50 countries. So, today, we are gonna speak to Edward about all things engineering and how he manages his day to day affairs as a MD for KONE.
Some of the questions that would be answered in this podcast are:
• Explaining to our listeners what KONE does as a company?
• How has the pandemic impacted KONE’s business?
• How does KONE ensures that its employees, subcontractors, and partners are safeguarded during the pandemic?
• What are some of the new large scale projects that KONE is working on in Malaysia?
• How does one become a country MD for a large public-listed company like KONE?
Hey there! Thanks for listening to our podcast thus far. Are you a MD of a public-listed company? Well, if you are, then we would like to hear from you. In our next podcasting series, we want to pick the brains of MDs alike around the world and find out what makes them tick! Managing a company is akin to running a business and so we thought that such a series would benefit our readers in some way. So, if you are a MD of a public-listed company then get in touch with us at editor@dailystraits.com and we will do our best to feature you in our next line-up.
Without further ado, let’s listen to Edward’s interview here.
Money: Can AI take over Accountancy Jobs?
By David Lam
This is the question often asked by parents and children who are considering their career in accountancy. Am I pursuing a career that will be made obsolete soon by Artificial Intelligence (AI)? If I am an accountancy professional, will the robot take over my job? To provide answers to the above, we shall approach the questions in three parts:
• What are the jobs of typical accountancy professional?
• A survey on the current AI landscape for the accountancy professionals?
• How can accountancy professional work with and not against AI?
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com.
Podcast: Carole Issa of Alephpreneur
By June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
Leaving Beirut for Sydney
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Beirut-born Carole Issa, who is the founder of Alephpreneur, a Sydney-based company that works with local and global business owners and their teams to help them go from good to great. Have you ever been interested in running your own consultancy business but have no clue on how to start? Well, then you are in luck, as we take a break from our New Zealand entrepreneurial series to feature a local Aussie's journey, instead. As a consultant, Carole's speciality lies in coaching executives and their teams in large enterprises, SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and startups. Besides running her own business, Carole is also a public speaker and the host of the Leadership Activators podcast. She has been invited to present talks both domestically and internationally to share her expertise in issues pertaining to leadership, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship. So, today, we are gonna talk to Carole about how she got her coaching business from the ground up. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview.
Podcast: Kath Blackham of VERSA
By June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
Starting a Business Post Maternity
Welcome to another episode with 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Kath Blackham – founder and CEO of VERSA. Melbourne- based VERSA is a digital transformation agency that is powered by Conversational AI. The company helps heads of marketing, customer service, and digital transformation to integrate conversational, voice, and AI technologies. The results: her clients have been able to create better conversations with their customers and their customer experience. Kath, who hails from New Zealand made news headlines in Australia two years ago for giving her workers off on Wednesdays which she says has resulted in higher productivity within her company. So, today we are gonna catch up with Kath about how she got her start in the business world and some of the challenges she faced in building her company from the ground up.
Kath is part of DailyStraits.com’s latest podcast series where we feature the best of New Zealand’s entrepreneurs. To date, the series has also featured the founder of Blunt umbrella Greig Brebner, the founder of Ashley & Co Jackie Ashley, Lizzi Whaley of Spaceworks, Aaron McDonald of Centrality, Lauren Peate of Multitudes, Vaughan Reed of Vibe.fyi, Gavin Oliver of Eco Zip and Chris South of Roi-AI.
Without further ado, let’s listen to her interview here.
Podcast: Chris South of ROI-AI
By June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
From Recruitment to Tech
Welcome to another episode of DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Chris South, the CEO and founder of Roi-AI.
Roi-AI is automation SAAS (software as a service) technology for the recruitment sector that supports recruiters through machine learning, activity tracking, referral gamification and more.
Chris is also managing director at Prominence, a marketing agency he founded in 2014 which currently employs over 20 people in Sydney, Auckland and Kuala Lumpur.
Despite having a background in marketing and recruitment it was his enthusiasm for business development that drove him to start his own companies.
He loves to share his knowledge and documents his journey in his own podcast series, The Five Million Dollar Project.
So, today we are going to talk to Chris about how he stepped out from his employee mindset and more.
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Podcast: Gavin Oliver of EcoZip NZ
Produced by June Ramli
Edited by Fazleena Aziz
Touring the new world
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is Gavin Oliver, one of the co-founders of EcoZip. Established in 2012, EcoZip is an adventure and eco-tourism company designed to ‘get visitors out of tour buses and into the bush’. The company was built on the concept of commercial conservation, or the belief that profit doesn’t necessarily need to be the sole reason to be in business. So, today we are going to speak to Gavin, one of the originators of the business, to find out why he decided to be a part of the venture and how tourism businesses such as his can make a buck.
The Pre Launch - A Series by DailyStraits.com
It has been two weeks since we launched Pre-Launch, a series where entrepreneurs can use our platform to impart some of their learnings with our readers.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Podcast: Vaughan Reed of Vibe.fyi
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Changing for the Best
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have a very special guest with us, Vaughan Reed (pictured above), the Founder and CEO of Vibe.fyi.
With over two decades of deep expertise in the technology space, Vaughan has helped deliver a number of first-to-market technologies in New Zealand including digital signage software that works directly on LG commercial screens, touch window and facial recognition technology.
Over 20 years of working in the digital communication space has taught him that communication is a make or break for businesses. Vaughan’s drive to ‘do things better’ was the catalyst for Vibe and today, his business helps companies communicate more effectively, more often and with less effort.
Based in Auckland, Vaughan and his team have developed an impressive Software as a service platform which delivers business critical information to the hard-to-reach, desk-less workforce and has an impressive list of New Zealand’s largest companies and also it’s first offshore customer in the US.
Outside of work, Vaughan is a serial medal winner – having represented New Zealand in the Canoe Marathon World Championships and taking out a Gold medal.
So, today, we are gonna talk to Vaughan about his business and how a chance meeting with a customer turned out to be a blessing in disguise in which he had pivoted his business completely to something new and exciting in the mid of 2018 and how the company self funded all this while without having an help from investors and venture capitalist.
But that has all changed, now the company is looking for venture capitalist, and hopes to ace one by next year.
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview.
Podcast: Lauren Peate of Multitudes
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Living and Working in New Zealand, the new American Dream
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have a very special guest with us Lauren Peate, an American entrepreneur who has been living in New Zealand since 2015.
Lauren is the founder and CEO of Multitudes, a workplace tool that provides managers insights to create happier, better-performing teams by highlighting blind spots and providing them with the correct recommendations on how to improve workplace engagement.
Despite still being in its infancy, the company which started in Dec 2019 has already brought in its first customers last year and has raised AUD$2.2 million in seed capital from Blackbird Ventures with participation from renowned angel investors such as Ellen Pao, the previous CEO of Reddit and Jon Williams, co-founder of Culture Amp.
The company is now slated to launch its beta version and has gone from an all-Kiwi user base to a global one.
So, today we are gonna talk to Lauren about why she decided to start a business in New Zealand instead of her home country of the USA.
Lauren also dishes out tips on the best way to make an elevator pitch and for Americans on how to bag a job in New Zealand.
Wanna try Multitudes out?
Well, you’re in luck as the company will be launching their beta version this September.
Sign up on their website at www.multitudes.co be notified when it goes live!
So, without further ado, let’s listen to the interview with Lauren here.
Want To Be Apart Of Our Podcast Series?
Hello! Thanks for showing interest to be a part of the 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com podcast series, where we interview a range of individuals such as entrepreneurs, investors, inventors or anyone who has done something awesome in their lives.
DailyStraits.com is a new website that started on Feb 27, 2021. We feature stories from around the world with a special focus on Malaysia and Australia. Why, Malaysia and Australia? Because one of the founders of the website has lived and worked in both countries.
On the podcast interviews, they are timed within 40 to 45-minutes, which includes a five to 10-minute ice-breaking session between the interviewee and the host. Guests will be briefed on the ground rules of the podcast as well as the questions beforehand. Questions will not be sent before the interview to give some spontaneity to the podcast. The actual podcast itself is only 30 minutes long.
About the podcast, our first episode was aired on April 2 and we are available on six platforms with the most famous one being Spotify and iTunes. To listen to the past episodes, please click on the episodes that have the word ‘podcast’ written on them.
We have a strong following among individuals aged between 22 to 45-years-old with our top three countries being Australia, the US and Malaysia.
Interested in being part of the podcast, then please email editor@dailystraits.com to set things up!
Thank you.
©DailyStraits.com 2021
Career Spotlight: Reading News For A Living
By June Ramli
A career as a TV journalist has been a dream of many but it is not always easy to ace. So, today we speak to a former Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) broadcast journalist Rosli Mohd Nordin on what it takes to become a BJ.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com
Podcast: Aaron McDonald of Centrality
Produced and Edited by June Ramli
Quitting University to Build a Business
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Our guest today is one of New Zealand’s finest businessman Aaron McDonald, the winner of the Ernest and Young Entrepreneur of the year award and CEO and founder of Centrality –one of New Zealand's largest blockchain companies.
To those of you who don’t know what a blockchain is, it is essentially a digital record of data that isn’t managed by one central authority like a bank or a company. Anyone in the world can update or view that record – depending on what permissions they have with each update known as a “block.”
Aaron is no stranger to the tech world and has over 20 years of experience in the industry where he’s manages portfolios with over $1billion in revenue.
Besides Centrality, Aaron is the advisor and director for 27 ventures and is involved with regulatory, industry and enterprise blockchain initiatives across the globe.
So, today we are gonna ask Aaron about how he felt after his company earned over NZ$100 million in 2018 as Centrality's cyber tokens sold out within six minutes and how the company has evolved in the last three years.
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Lizzi Whaley on Buying Spaceworks
Produced and Edited by June Ramli
Buying a business instead of starting it from scratch
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have a very special guest with us, Ms Lizzi Whaley. A wearer of many hats, Ms Whaley is the CEO of Spaceworks Interior Architecture, a mother, and a celebrity in her own right. Ms Whaley’s profile has consistently been on the rise over the past four years as she positions herself as a formidable force within the design industry, establishing new conversations and leading the charge in creating intelligent spaces that are forward-thinking, diverse, unique and revolutionising Aotearoa’s businesses for the better. With a strong design knowledge, genuine and authentic leadership, and a passion for wellbeing, this year is set to be a big year for Ms Whaley in her endeavours to create and curate new spaces. Over the past three years, her stance in the industry and public eye has adversely shaped her growing personal brand to one that is both meaningful and strong. Ms Whaley is also a former Judge on The Block NZ – a show where couples compete to see who can renovate a property well enough to make them the biggest profit at an auction. So, today we are going to talk to Ms Whaley about why she decided to buy her company Spaceworks instead of starting it from scratch. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Podcast: Jackie Ashley of Ashley & Co
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Going with your gut instincts
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we would like to introduce you to a very special guest, Jackie Ashley, the founder of Ashley & Co. Jackie is a New Zealander entrepreneur who grew up in Hong Kong and just like Steve Jobs she started her brand in her garage 17 years ago. Together with her husband Ben, the duo grew the brand from strength to strength to a catalogue of over 70 skews, including eight signature scents. Jackie’s range is now stocked in some of the world’s finest retail, hospitality and hotel hotspots in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Most importantly, her brand recently partnered with Air New Zealand but this partnership has since paused no thanks to COVID-19. Despite the halt, we still decided to ask Jackie on how she got her product into the skies, something that the DailyStraits.com understands is very hard to do and much more. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here:
Podcast: Greig Brebner of Blunt Umbrellas
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Bringing Sexy Back to the humble Umbrella
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have a very special guest with us, Greig Brebner, the inventor and the founder of Blunt umbrellas. A pioneer in his industry, Brebner often takes ordinary products and turns them into extraordinary experiences.
He draws inspiration from his father as he grew up in his workshop watching him create amazing things from basic materials. Brebner’s extraordinary talents have evolved as he focused on the idea of creating a product that would stand the test of time and have mass global appeal.
Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, Brebner grew up on a small farm, spent a lot of time in the ocean and enjoyed a great childhood in the outdoors. Brebner moved to London in 1999 for an overseas experience after graduating from Auckland University with a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering. It was here that the idea for Blunt was conceived. So, today, we are going to talk to Brebner about the difficulties he had from starting the brand right up to marketing a business with a single product. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Podcast: Morgan Coleman on Disrupting the Vet Industry
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Disrupting the $4B Vet Industry
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have a very special guest with us, 31-year-old indigenous entrepreneur Morgan Coleman, the founder of Vets on Call, a tech disruptor to the $4 billion Australian veterinary industry.
Vets on Call is a full service veterinary provider using a custom built mobile app that delivers pet services into peoples homes.
After a less than a pleasing visit to the vet with his beloved dog Milky, Morgan realised the opportunity to create a better healthcare outcome for pets by delivering vet services in a more convenient and less stressful manner. He sold his house and car and used the proceeds to fund the beginning of his business. He then partnered with an accomplished vet Magda West and tech partners Nathan Sinnott and Rael Kuperholz.
To date, Vets on Call have amassed 5,500 clients in Melbourne alone and is on its way to expand into Brisbane and the rest of Australia thereafter.
Among the things that Coleman would be discussing in this podcast are the challenges he faced as an indigenous entrepreneur and what he did to overcome it. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
The Pre Launch: Sofia Ang of A Spooon Full
By Sofia Ang
My business ‘A Spooon Full’ with a triple ‘O’ is a whole food manufacturer based in Malaysia. Whole foods are generally characterised as foods that have not been processed, refined or had ingredients added to them. The reason why we insisted on producing our raw materials and ingredients for all our food and beverages is because we want to serve premium quality products to our customers.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com or listen to it here.
Podcast: Myles Bertrand on Cloud Banking
Producer and Editor: June Ramli
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have a very special guest with us, Myles Bertrand - the Managing Director of Mambu Asia Pacific.
Launched in Berlin in 2011, Mambu is a global fintech and market-leading software as a service (Saas) cloud banking platform with offices in Sydney and Singapore.
The company provides the ‘engine’ for banks to build digital finance products on; whether that is an entirely digital bank or just a single digital product – all in the cloud.
Among the things discussed in this podcast are; what is open banking and how are Asians are slowly warming up to the concept of cloud banking.
Also, if you haven’t already, do check out Myles’ write-up on “How Fintechs are Accelerating Islamic Finance,” which we published earlier on DailyStraits.com.
Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview here.
Podcast: Richard Fowler on buying Collectable Cars
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Buying Collectable Cars as an Investment
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today we have a very special guest with us, Richard Fowler, the Head of Collecting Cars Australia. Richard has a wealth of digital media and advertising experiences. He has worked with the world’s best brands such as Dell, HP, Virgin, HSBC, and Hyundai. He recently launched Collecting Cars into the Australian market this January with huge success to date. Over his career he has put his own money on the line, learned fast, failed and evolved with the knowledge one can only gain from taking risks both in motorsports and in business. So today, we're gonna talk to Richard about buying collectable cars as an investment. He will be discussing the best way to buy a collectible cars online and some tips on finding the best ride. Without further ado, let's listen to the pre-recorded interview here.
How Fintechs are Accelerating Islamic Finance
Myles Bertrand, the Asia Pacific Managing Director of Mambu, a software as a service (Saas) for the banking and finance sector writes exclusively for DailyStraits.com.
You can read the full article at DailyStraits.com or listen to it here.
The Pre Launch: Li Yen of Hawkr
By Li Yen
My name is Li Yen and I am the founder and CEO of Hawkr, a micro cloud kitchen. The first question you probably have is, what on earth is a micro cloud kitchen? Most know what cloud kitchens are.
Cloud kitchens are commercial kitchens optimised for cost and delivery and have been gaining popularity because of this pandemic.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com.
The Pre-Launch: Brian Wong of Usku
The first series of "The Pre-Launch" has officially kick-started with an article from a Melbourne-based entrepreneur who talks about how his business UsKu Technologies got its start and the challenges that came with it. Let’s read his findings here.
Read the full story at DailyStraits.com or listen to the full article here.
New Series: "The Pre-Launch"
By June Ramli
The DailyStraits.com has launched a new series titled: "Pre-launched." Click the listen now button to find out what it is all about.
Podcast: Suganthi Suparmaniam On Book Writing
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Turning A True Story Into a Netflix Series
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we have with us a former New Straits Times journalist now a communication specialist Suganthi Suparmaniam from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who is going to tell us a thing or two about book writing. Book writing if done well can become a wonderful product that can make one money or bring fame like JK Rowling of the Harry Potter series or Dan Brown of the Da Vincci series. Now on Suganthi, she is the author of The Story of Bentong Kali, a notorious Malaysian gangster who committed 16 murders in the 1990s. Her inaugural book has been well received judging from her recent appearance on Astro Awani, a renowned TV news channel in Malaysia with plans underway to turn her book into a script for screen adaption purposes. Despite not being able to interview her subject in person, as he was shot dead by the police in 1993, however this didn’t stop Suganthi from telling his story to the world. So, today we are going to talk to Suganthi on how she started the finished product, finding a publisher and the monetary benefits attached to writing a book. Let’s listen to the interview here:
COVID-19: When Will The Craziness Stop?
By June Ramli
We are almost halfway through 2021 and it looks like the COVID-19 madness is here to stay, no one really knows when it will end with some folks have already started making plans around it.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Learning The Art Of Selling
Entrepreneur and Journalist June Ramli has been learning the art of selling in the last couple of months through various initiatives. Today, she dishes out some of her findings and tips. Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Podcast: Lachlan Matheson On Starting A Business
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Ditching The Great Australian Dream
Welcome to another episode of 30 mins with DailyStraits.com. Today, we are joined by a 25-year-old entrepreneur who founded a multimillion dollar company in Australia four years ago.
Melbourne-based Lachlan Matheson’s is the owner and operator of BOXXD, a global brand which services over 21 countries with wholesale and custom packaging.
With more than 20 staff members and counting, this Australian owned business is currently on track in making AUD$3 million this financial year with no signs of slowing down.
Here, Matheson tells us why he started the business and how he deals with older staff members and why he feels nervous sometimes.
He also tells us why he decided to put the great Australian dream of owning a home on hold while he used his savings to start his own business instead of putting it down for a house deposit.
Without further ado, let’s listen to Matheson’s interview.
Podcast: Candice Meisels: Publicist In Your Pocket
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Publicist In Your Pocket
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with DailyStraits.com. Today, we would like to introduce you to Candice Meisels, a publicist and the author of ‘Power of PR and Back Yourself.’ Born in South Africa, she moved to London in 2007 and worked with Walt Disney before moving to Sydney in 2011. Since then, Candice has worked as a freelancer, copywriter, editor, and public relations (PR) professional. In 2013, she set up her own consultancy Candice Meisels PR and for the past eight years has been assisting Australian and New Zealand businesses. Today, she joins us to talk about all things PR. Pro-tip, if you listen to the tail end of the podcast, you will be able to get some useful tips on how to craft a successful press release from start to finish. Without further ado, let’s listen to the interview.
Podcast: Shoshana Eisner On Going The Extra Mile
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Radiant Skin For The World
Welcome to another episode of 30 minutes with dailystraits.com. We recently spoke to a Sydney-based skincare brand founder Shoshana Eisner. A pharmacist by training, Shoshana has put her pharmaceutical skills to great use by creating a skincare brand for women with sensitive skin. Her line has received a phenomenal response since its inception in 2008. Thirteen years on, Shoshana’s brand has grown from strength to strength with plans for world domination. Her brand QED Skincare is a plant-based luxury line that can also be customised to one’s needs. Here Shoshana tells us why she decided to start the brand, and if you listen till the end, you will get to know what are some of the secret ingredients for her best-selling product. Without further ado, let’s listen to Shoshana as she lays it all out in the interview here.
Podcast: Dr Rajiv Bhanot’s Pursuit To Happiness
Producer: June Ramli
In Pursuit Of Happiness
Welcome to another episode of 30 mins with DailyStraits.com. Today, we would like to introduce you to Dr Rajiv Bhanot, a former medical practitioner based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His story is about taking bold actions in pursuit of happiness. After spending six years to obtain a medical degree in Russia, and subsequently following it up with a two-year stint in Malaysia, Dr Rajiv knew that the profession wasn’t his calling and quit cold turkey on the last day of his housemanship. Ten years have passed since that fateful day. Today, Dr Rajiv has transformed himself into a serial entrepreneur with a range of successful businesses under his belt. Looking back, he tells us how broke the news to his parents and advises other doctors who want to follow in his footsteps. Let’s listen to Dr Rajiv’s no holds barred interview.
Dailystraits.com – The Backstory
By June Ramli
It has been a month since we started dailystraits.com. A name which I have etched in my mind since 2014. The name “Daily Straits” was derived from a short story that I was planning to do about the innings of working in a newspaper while I was doing a post-graduate course in creative writing at the University of Technology Sydney. In other words, it was supposed to be a fictional newspaper that I was going to write about which has become a reality. Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Styling Homes For A Living
By June Ramli
Faiza Khan remembers the day when she became interested in interior design (ID) way back when she was in high school.
“I’ve always loved flipping through international ID magazines. My school friends would come into my room and be in awe as I would decorate it differently,” she told the dailystraits.com in a recent interview. But when it was time for her to apply for university, she went with Mass Communication instead as there wasn’t a related course in her chosen field. Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Podcast: Ridzwan Rahim On Swimming The Distance
Producer: June Ramli
Editor: Fazleena Aziz
Swimming The Distance
Welcome to another 30 minutes with the DailyStraits.com podcast series, today we would like to feature a story on the tenacity of Ridzwan Rahim who fought against the odds to realise his dream of swimming through the Perhentian Island channel during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. After completing the swim last month, Ridzwan is believed to be the first person to have swam solo non-stop and unassisted from Perhentian Island to Besut in Terengganu, Malaysia. According to Ridzwan, no one has swum the route before making him the first to complete such a feat. According to Google Earth, the straight line distance between the two stops is 17 km.
However, swimmers rarely register a straight line when swimming in open water due to chops, currents and other elements of nature, the former New Straits Times (NST) journalist said in a statement. For his swim, Ridzwan covered a distance of 19.087km in 8hours 56min 30secs.
The swim was done per the US-based Marathon Swimmers Federation’s (MSF) rules of marathon swimming.
Ridzwan was assisted by a crew consisting of Abdul Razak Abdul Aziz (team leader and observer), Mohd Hafizuddin Amlin (kayaker), Damien Ong-Yeoh (crew member), Tsuyoshi Amzar Sawada (observer), Ariff Budiman Abdul Halim (photographer), Mohd Fahmi Zainal Aripin (drone videographer) and boat pilots, Wan Nor Hisham Wan Razak and Azrol Mohd Yusof. He said his team was in the process of submitting the documentation of the swim to the MSF for ratification. If successful, Ridzwan’s swim will be the first-ever ratified swim from Malaysia.
The avid scuba diver has also written about his feat extensively in an NST article available here, but for now, let’s listen to his no holds barred interview.
Annyeonghaseyo From ESL Tutor
By June Ramli
After Saxon Cheng’s editorial department was replaced by automation, he immediately started looking for a job on social media instead of the conventional method via job recruitment sites. The search paid off as the former journalist cum personal trainer landed a job in none other than South Korea. Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Going The Right Direction
By June Ramli
Former television news anchor Muhammed Ahmad Hamdan remembers the day too well when he decided to quit his anchoring gig at NTV7 to work on his dream of opening a small eatery. As an avid business journalist, Muhammed decided to take the plunge after his sister had found a shop lot in which they could both run their respective businesses.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Podcast: Michael Pillon of Famous Soda Co
Producer: June Ramli
Edited: Fazleena Aziz
Advice For Young Entrepreneurs
Welcome to another 30 minutes with the DailyStraits.com podcast series, where we feature a range of entrepreneurs from all over the world talking about everything about their business venture. Today, we like to introduce you to Michael Pillon, the founder of Famous Soda Co, a healthier alternative to soda drinks that are already taking on the big players in the beverage industry. Famous Soda Co has eight calories, zero sugar, and no nasty sweeteners. It is a family run business alongside his mother, Julie. The company recently got a multi-million-dollar contract from Coles and Woolworths in Australia last September and have plans for distribution in Asia-Pacific soon. Without further adieu, let's listen to the interview.
Career Spotlight: Sub Editors, Clearing The News Clutter
By June Ramli
When someone talks about working for a news organisation, they immediately think of journalists.
But there is another unsung role called the sub-editors, who work hand in hand with the newsroom team.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Enter The Three Tigers
By June Ramli
Back in the day, Nantha Balan dreamt of starting his own business with his friends but all those ideas for their start-ups remained idle as their lives got busy. Then something changed and they suddenly sprung into action to bring their idea to life.
“We would meet up, talk about it (the idea) and then forget about it the following day."
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Health: Battling Weight Woes
By June Ramli
Personality Datuk Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid was never really obese throughout her life but like many women, things soon changed when she gave birth to her third child, daughter Sofeea in 2009. Two years later, Nurul realised that her weight had spiralled out of control and she did everything under the sun to curb it.
“My problem was that I had a sweet tooth. I loved desserts, ice-creams and that made me gain weight,” she told dailystraits.com in an interview recently.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Podcast: Ila Mathi of Kairu Arts
Starting A Marketplace For Sustainable Products
Thanks for reading us thus far.
The DailyStraits.com is happy to announce that we have started our 30-minute podcast which features a range of diverse entrepreneurs from all over the world talking everything about their business venture. To kickstart the series, we would like to introduce you to a Klang-based entrepreneur Ila Mathi who has just created a marketplace selling sustainable and biodegradable produce. Here, she talks to us about the idea behind the marketplace, and why she labels her sellers as earth healers, instead. To know more about her marketplace, log on to https://kairuarts.com/. Meanwhile, let’s listen in to the interview here.
Career Spotlight: From Tronoh To Jakarta
By June Ramli
Borhan Erwan Adaham was never a fan of his school days and he never took his studies seriously. Life was all just fun and games back in the day. Recalling an incident from the era where he was caught smoking.Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Persistence Pays Off Down Under
By June Ramli
It was an unexpected decision for Priya Shanmuganathan to stay back in Melbourne, Australia after completing her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at Deakin University.But the desire to make it Down Under and to prove to oneself got the best of her. The native KL-lite has been in the country since 2009 but she recalled the first time she was trying to look for a job before landing a career in the Australian government. Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Marketing: How To Get Your Press Release Noticed
By Karina Foo
Being a journalist for eight years has taught me a thing or a two about press releases. They are a pain to read – usually cold, impersonal and uninteresting, except for a few very creative exceptions.
I have worked with the creme de creme of Malaysian publications such as The Malaysian Reserve, The Malay Mail, The New Straits Times and The Star.
But it was VERY different then, as I was on the receiving end, it was really up to me to access when the release was good enough to see print.
Arrogant, much?
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Tech: One-Stop Centre App For Aesthetic
For entrepreneur Tom Goh the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing but a blessing in disguise.
This was because, after two years of conceptualizing his business plan, Goh finally managed to put together an app specializing in everything aesthetics off to a rousing start.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Hello!
Career Spotlight: Dabbling In The Freelance Zone
Freelancing is a tough act but as days go by and with more job cuts taking place in the newsrooms, plenty of journalists have pivoted their skills into this foray. But how do they make it work? The dailystraits.com finds out first-hand from a successful freelancer.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Health: Me, an IVF mum?
By Hani Zul Fossum
To begin with, I’ve never dreamt to be someone else’s wife let alone a mother.
But everything changed when I met my husband who encouraged me to start a family with him.
We were blessed with our first daughter when I was 37. The pregnancy and delivery went on without much drama.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Tech: Start-Up’s Game-Changing Tool
A new concept in property sales has emerged as the largest value-based real estate agency in Queensland.
Despite only being a year old, the brainchild of three former Purple Bricks’ principals has teamed up and formed One Percent Property Sales which has twice the number of agents and more than five times the listings of its nearest competitor.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Diving Into The Ocean Business
By June Ramli
Irwan Ismail never thought that he would be living on an island and scuba diving all day long.
The former graphic designer for renowned publications such as the New Straits Times, Malaysian Insider and the Malay Mail took the plunge in 2018 after deciding to pursue a life as a full-time scuba diver.
The decision to leave the city centre came to Irwan after moonlighting in the profession as a freelance diver since 2012.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Accidental Fashion Designer
By June Ramli
Retired airforce technician Safwan Saleh never thought that he would be designing his own label after leaving the job five years ago.
Despite having zero knowledge in designing, it never stopped the 34-year-old father with an engineering degree to give it a go.
Recalling his early days, Safwan said he just finished up a 10-year-contract with the Royal Malaysian Airforce when he decided to dabble as a reseller to earn some side income.
Read the full story on dailystraits.com
Nippon Paint Celebrates Big Win
Nippon Paint has once again been crowned the top paint brand amongst Malaysians at a recently concluded Putra Brand 2020 Awards which was held virtually this year.
The brand came in first in the home improvement products and stores category which evidently cemented its position as a market leader and total solutions coating provider in the country.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Marketing: Selling To The ‘New Old’
By June Ramli
Jeff Sanders wants to see more astute marketing in Australia being carried out for the ‘new old.’ And by that, he means tasteful targeted marketing for baby boomers between the ages of 50 to 75.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Making A Living By Teaching French
By June Ramli
Simon Leprince has always been fascinated with the French language since childhood.
Born and bred in Malaysia, Leprince admiration for the language grew even more acute after watching his cousins speak fluently in the language whenever he visited his parents’ hometown in Pondicherry, India.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Turning Golf Into A Day Job
By June Ramli
Shan Ramdas had always wanted to manage a golf club but the break to his dream career did not come easy.
Upon graduating with a Sports and Management degree from the prestigious University of Malaya, Ramdas remembers how he had to settle for numerous odd jobs in the interim before his day came.
“When I graduated, it was during the 1999 recession and jobs were hard to come by.
“So, I worked in numerous other places like in the hotel sector and the IT industry.
Read the full story on dailystraits.com
Life In China In The Time Of Corona
By Azlimi Zakaria
The year 2020 had the world gone viral with COVID-19, both literally and figuratively.
The sneaky culprit COVID-19 virus had found the best way to spread among us humans via our daily (bad) habits, like not keeping our unwashed hands to ourselves or not covering our mouths and noses when we sneezed.
Due to this, within months the outbreak had turned itself into a global pandemic.
Serving in one of the Malaysian Consulates-General in China, we experienced everything first before catchphrases like “new normal” and “social distancing” became the global mantra.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Accountant Turned Hijabster Entrepreneur
By June Ramli
Australian trained accountant Intan Juliana has her work cut out in the next few months. This serial entrepreneur wants nothing more than for her newfound venture Fitflo Activewear to be one of the top fitness brands in Indonesia for modern and active Muslim women. And she is going all out to make that happen.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Lockdown Blues: A Teacher’s Dilemma
By Sulastri Aziz
One of the most rewarding and noble careers in the world is being a teacher. To me, that is because one is tasked with moulding the next generation of thinkers, leaders and so on. As a person, I have always known that teaching was the profession for me.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Turning Art Into Moolah
By June Ramli
Ahmad Fuad Osman is no stranger in the artistic world. As even a simple Google search on the man will tell and show you his body of impressive work. A down to earth artist who is known to produce a lot of statement pieces, Ahmad conceded that being a full-time artist was no walk in the park. But nonetheless, he said a career in the art scene can be rewarding if one was willing to put in the work.
Read the full story on dailystraits.com
Lockdown Life In The Big Apple
By Diana Talit
As we all know, the unexpected event that was the pandemic had devastating consequences in New York. I felt really scared and frustrated at the height of the pandemic around April till June of last year. I was worried because many opportunities such as travelling, meeting new people for work and even my social life took a back seat. Manhattan, where I live, was literally a dead city compared to its former bustling glory.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Career Spotlight: Work Bound In Myanmar
Devanandan Batumalai was on his usual route home from work when he received word that he was being headhunted for a senior position in Myanmar. He remembers the day clearly as he got the call. “I was stuck in a traffic jam in the Smart Tunnel in KL when the call came from a recruitment agency in Singapore,” he said.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Tech: Wattpad Acquisition: A Writer’s Reaction
Opinion By Siti Syameen
The year opened with the news of Naver’s acquisition on Wattpad for over AUD$773 million in January. For those who are unfamiliar, Wattpad is a website for writers to publish new user-generated stories. The app founded by University of Toronto alumni Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen in 2006 is about to write a new chapter in its own story. While most people might wonder about these two names and what warrants the sizable amount of money involved, tech pundits are getting all excited.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Sports: Eight Year Old’s Knock Out Punch
By June Ramli
A professional boxer based in Brisbane was shocked one day when his three-year-old daughter wanted to learn how to punch someone. At first, Kato Akeripa Falefehi just laughed it off but soon realised that his daughter Lesli Valu wasn’t mucking around. Not wanting to disappoint her, Falefehi decided to give in and teach Lesli a thing or two about boxing. He was soon blown away by what he saw next.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Sports: Is Rowing The Sport For You?
By June Ramli
Two Sundays ago, on Valentine’s Day to be exact, I decided to volunteer my time to help manage a rowing competition that was held by the Balmain Rowing Club in Sydney, Australia. It was an interesting experience that I thought I’d share with everyone here. First of all, I’d like to say I’ve never been an athletic person, but since moving to Australia and to a suburb in the Inner West some years back, I decided to give rowing a go in 2017 as the club was situated just down the road where I was living then.
Read the full story at dailystraits.comYTL’S Q2 Net Profit Soars By 75 Per Cent
By June Ramli
YTL Corp Bhd revenue increased by 10 per cent to RM4.59 billion for the quarter ended 31 December 2020 compared to RM4.18 billion for the previous quarter ended 30 September 2020. The company’s profit before tax grew 44 per cent to RM196.9 million for the three months ending 31 December 2020 compared to RM136.8 million recorded in the previous quarter, while profit after tax grew by 75 per cent to RM85.4 million in this quarter over RM48.7 million in the previous quarter. YTL Corp Executive Chairman, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh said: “The Group’s improved profit was primarily due to the better performance in our merchant multi-utilities business segment in Singapore which has seen a solid turnaround, in addition to improved performance in our construction and cement segments, which continued to navigate the ongoing movement control conditions to turn in strong performances for the quarter under review.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
Rising To The Occasion
By Fazleena Aziz
KUALA LUMPUR: Unless you have been living under a rock, baking is the new thing. It would seem like everyone is a baker these days to earn an extra income or to make a living. Just a quick browse through Instagram, one can see the list of new bakers mushrooming around the corner offering a range of sweet and savoury delicacies that feed the needs of the masses. dailystraits.com spoke to several new emerging bakers who stumbled their way into the sweetness of the baking world.
Read the full story at dailystraits.com
The Real Impact Of COVID-19
Comment by Fazleena Aziz
The death toll of the Coronavirus pandemic stands at 2.35 million as this article is being written with over 107 million cases recorded worldwide. The numbers are indeed staggering but more people have died of hunger and there is an ongoing famine in war-torn Yemen. The impact of this pandemic goes beyond deaths and recoveries. Coronavirus has affected people differently from different walks of life. It is easy to call for a total lockdown but those who are calling for this perhaps don't really comprehend the impact it has on the lives of people.
To read the whole article, log on to www.dailystraits.com
High On Sugar
Comment by Fazleena Aziz
It comes as no surprise that varsity students in Malaysia are seeking sugar daddies to support them or in essence to help them keep up with their lifestyle and financial woes. In a recent article published by Malay Mail and several news sites, Malaysia has some 42,500 sugar daddies, placing itself third in Asia.
Log on to www.dailystraits.com to read the rest of this article.