Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

It is all about art toys and figurines for today. Founded in 2010, our guest POP MART is a culture and entertainment company.  The firm creates art toys and collectible pieces sold through its network of retail stores or vending machines.  POP MART made its debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2020 with a market capitalisation of US$12.5 billion at the end of its first trading day. Aside from manufacturing and selling toys, the firm also puts a focus on developing artists that provide intellectual property that can be made into toys, figurines or other products.  To this end, the company works with renowned international designers such as Kenny Wong for its iconic character called Molly. If you are a collector, you would probably know of Molly as a little girl with emerald eyes and pouting lips, or simply one of the firm’s best selling characters.  Beyond working with artists, POP MART also collaborated with global brands such as Disney, Universal Studios and Sanrio to come up with co-branded products.  Question is – how does the firm navigate its relationship with designers and corporates given that they are considered as the lifeblood of the company? The company is on the charm offensive to expand internationally by opening retail stores around the world, but it is also diversifying away from toy manufacturing at the same time.  To what extent do these moves contradict each other? And what is POP MART’s grand plan for the future? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Kevin Zhang, Head of Strategic Partnership, POP MART.

A sudden twist in the investigation into Hunter Biden means his legal troubles will likely stretch on for months, creating an unwelcome drag on US President Joe Biden's reelection bid. Meanwhile, Donald Trump could face a fourth indictment this week in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will begin presenting evidence to a grand jury  related to an investigation into possible election interference by the former president in 2020.  Steve Okun, Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates joins the Drive Time team for the latest developments.

With the brand new Premier League season almost upon us, we weigh out who looks ready to do battle and who looks a little undercooked. Plus with the transfer window still in full-swing, we could see plenty more movers and shakers before it slams shut! Tune in as Elliott and Raushan gear you up for another breathtaking season of football ahead! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore shares slipped at the open today, after the Ministry of Trade and Industry narrowed its official full-year growth forecast for 2023, citing a weak external demand outlook for the rest of the year. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) inched down 0.2 per cent to 3,316 points after 34.1 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch today, we have Genting Singapore, after the integrated resorts operator posted a net profit of S$276.7 million for the six months ended June. That’s more than three times the S$84.4 million in earnings in the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, economic developments out of Singapore and the US remain in focus for the day. On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked the developments with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.

Get your music festival outfits ready because Sundown Festival is set to make its comeback this weekend. Headlining the event is Mandopop star Jam Hsiao, Malaysian rapper Namewee, DJ Kim Lee, and internationally renowned DJs R3HAB and Firebeatz. We find out more from Kelvin Goh, Director & Co-founder of Sundown Festival and Rudolph Van Der Van, Sundown Festival Director, Red Spade Entertainment.

As we return to a post-pandemic world, many companies are inviting employees back to the office. Two years into this new normal, most of us have gotten the hang of video meetings. But why are hybrid meetings much more complicated?  We speak with Petteri Murto, Vice President of Sales, Business Communication, Sennheiser Asia-Pacific to find out how they're elevating meeting and conferencing experiences.

You might have heard of computer coding. But have you heard of low code?  If you haven’t, low code refers to a process of developing software that minimises the lines of computer codes that developers need to write manually. It might be a little hard to visualise, but think of low coding as the pre-fabrication of apartments. Computer codes are packaged into drag and drop icons just like individual pre-fab modules.  All that software developers need to do to build an app is mix and match these icons, , or pre-fab modules, in the way that they want. And all the action happens at a construction site, or a user interface, that is highly intuitive to the man in the street.  Low code is important to the tech industry because it democratises app developers for people with little experience in this field. It also allows organisations to introduce new enterprise software quickly without hiring a large number of experienced developers.  But how will Generative AI shake things up, now that computer codes can be produced from language text prompts? On Under the Radar, Drive Time’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed the question to Leonard Tan, Regional Director, Singapore and Greater China Region at low code solutions provider OutSystems.  Founded in 2001, OutSystems’ firm’s low code platform serves thousands of active customers in 87 countries and across 22 industries, including Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda and Indonesian telecommunications operator Telkomsel.

Singapore shares dipped this morning, following a mixed showing in global markets overnight. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) inched down 0.1 per cent to 3,312.16 points after 42.3 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch, we have CapitaLand Investment. The company today announced the launch of a business park development fund to invest in Grade A business parks in prime locations across gateway cities in India, but how significant is this move?  Meanwhile, from China’s slip into deflation and Japan and South Korea’s tourism stocks on the rise, to WeWork’s struggle and the potential impact on markets such as New York City – more international headlines are in focus.  On Market View, the Drive Time team unpacked these developments with David Chow, Director Azure Capital.

Diving into the complex world of Harry Maguire: From captain to controversy, fame to struggle, and changing perceptions. Exploring the highs, lows, and complicated journey of the world's most expensive defender. As the much maligned defender edges closer to departing Manchester United - Deepanraj Ganesan, sports reporter with The Straits times, joins Raushan and Elliott on this tasty debate on Maguire's legacy. We also hear from Rio Ferdinand and Darren Bent, who share their thoughts on the defender. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Would you quit your day time job to pursue a passion? This entrepreneur left the corporate world to pursue her pastry dreams. Having spent six years specialising in marketing and advertising, she took a leap of faith in 2013 by embarking on a sabbatical to explore her true calling. Her story is a testament to the determination and resilience that many women entrepreneurs possess.  Jiawen Lin, Founder & Chef Owner, Arc-en-ciel Patisserie Singapore shares more about her experience in taking that leap into the pastry world.