Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Today we’re going to bring you an inside look into the kiwi fruit we eat from time to time for that Vitamin C boost!  Based in New Zealand, Zespri is one of the world’s most successful horticultural marketing companies and its the country’s largest horticultural exporter.  Just to give you some numbers, the firm exports over 167 million trays of kiwifruit to more than 50 countries around the world. We’re talking about 30 per cent of global volume and sales revenues of US$3.1 billion.  But how does the company work? Well Zespri is 100 per cent owned by current or past kiwifruit growers.  It manages kiwifruit innovation, supply and distribution management and marketing of varieties such as Zespri™ Green, Zespri™ Gold Kiwifruit and Zespri™ Red.  Aside from exporting products, it also gives out licences to farmers to farm certain varieties of kiwifruits – for instance the golden kiwifruit variety that is sweeter and higher in nutrients.  That said, how does the firm assess its reliance on a single type of fruit for production and business growth? Also – where are the bright spots for Zespri in the near term? Meanwhile, Zespri also launched a US$2 million innovation fund to drive agricultural innovation and mitigate the impact of climate change globally. But what can we look out for on this front? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Jiunn Shih, Global Chief Marketing, Innovation & Sustainability Officer of Zespri. 

Manchester United's defeat to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford leaves them out of the Champions League and out of Europe after finishing bottom of their group. Even more worryingly, the problems at the club appear no nearer to being solved under Erik ten Hag. So where to from here for the once mighty Manchester United? Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Why is self-storage space rental high in demand in Singapore and Asia Pacific?  That's because rents for small homes, increasing affluence and work-from-home practices in Asia have fuelled demand for self-storage and piqued investor interest in the nascent sector. Luigi La Tona, Group Director of Operations, StorHub shares what that means for the future of self-storage in Singapore, as living arrangements continue to evolve post-pandemic.

In an era where theatres are reshaping themselves to captivate modern audiences, ABA Productions proudly upholds its enduring devotion to the timeless classics, keeping the magic alive for generations to come. From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to Peter Pan to Roald Dahl’s tales, they believe that these timeless literary pieces should transcend time and borders.  And now, they will be bringing the musical adaptation of the hit DreamWorks motion picture, Madagascar, to Singapore in January 2024.  Matthew Gregory, Executive Producer, ABA Productions tell us more. 

Singapore stocks opened on a muted note today after global equities ended mixed overnight. In early trade, the Straits Times index (STI) was down 0.02 per cent at 3,101.8 points after 54.9 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have ST Engineering and StarHub. Both parties said separately today that the defence and engineering group will acquire cryptographic technology company D’Crypt from a StarHub unit.  Elsewhere from more on private sector economists’ forecast for Singapore’s 2024 growth to Japan planning tax breaks for 10 years to boost EV and chip production, and what to expect ahead of the latest US FOMC meeting more economic developments remain in focus. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Toby Gresham, Investment Counselor Team Lead, Citi Private Bank.

From Malaysia announcing a major cabinet reshuffling yesterday to more Rohingya refugees landing in Indonesia's Aceh.  Nicholas Fang, Managing Director, Black Dot and Director for Security and Global Affairs, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis of those headlines and more. 

Making the world a safer and better place to live through the use of restoring blurry videos - that’s what we’re going to talk about on the segment.  Our guest for today is ProHawk AI, a company focusing on video restoration. Video restoration refers to the technical process of transforming noisy, obscured, or unclear video to clear understandable video.  Imagine manipulating every pixel in a high-resolution frame of video. ProHawk does that in real time, with a per-frame processing rate of 16 microseconds.  But what has video restoration got to do with making the world a safer place you might ask?  Well, we use video feeds for security, automation, transportation and a multitude of other applications. For instance, videos can be used to interpret traffic, assist law enforcement and even in the medical setting. Making sure that video feeds are clear in real time can result in more reliable performance regardless of adverse lighting or extreme weather, hence allowing operators to identify threats in a timely fashion and hence, making the world safer.  The firm is part of the Nvidia Metropolis partnership programme where over 1,000 companies bring to market Vision AI powered solutions across industries. The firm also said it’s partnered with Dell Technologies.  But what does the partnerships mean for ProHawk AI when it comes to product innovation, growth as well as finances?  Speaking of growth, Statista data showed that the global computer vision market is projected to see a market volume of US$50.97 billion by 2030. But how does ProHawk AI assess its growth trajectory? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Brent Willis, Chief Operating Officer ProHawk AI.

With Chelsea and Manchester United both flattering to deceive, we discuss how two of the Premier League's most successful clubs, who have each reached three Champions League finals in the past 15 years, have become the definition of dysfunction. And which manager is leading the sack race? Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

The Art Works Gallery is now open at the new One Holland Village development. And to mark this milestone, the gallery has partnered with Lamborghini Singapore to showcase an exhilarating live art performance. Chris Hallewell, Chief Operations Officer, Art Works Group shares more details on their partnership with Lamborghini.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the term “black swan events” has been thrust into the spotlight to describe events that are unpredictable and leave behind severe consequences. But with a new year just around the corner, is it time for businesses to retire the term? What strategies can businesses adopt to help weather everyday disruptions, making these uncertainties feel less “black swan”, and more “water off a duck’s back”? Charles Ferguson, APAC General Manager, G-P shares his views.