Registration 12:15pm 
Lunch 12:30pm 
Close 2:00pm

1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), set up by former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009, was meant to turn Kuala Lumpur into a financial hub and boost the economy through strategic investments. In early 2015, however, it started to attract negative attention, after it missed payments for some of the $11billion it owed to banks and bondholders, with Mr. Najib accused of taking $700 milllion from the fund. In July 2018, two months after his shock election loss in May, Mr. Najib has been charged with corruption. As the global fallout from the Malaysian 1MDB scandal continues to reverberate, the Asia Society Hong Kong Center hosts Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Tom Wright, who has been breaking and covering this story from the very beginning. In conversation with WSJ Heard on the Street Editor Ken Brown, Mr. Wright will be on hand to discuss the various twists and turns of a story that has captivated many people across the world and arguably changed the course of Malaysia's recent elections. 

Tom Wright is a Hong Kong-based journalist with The Wall Street Journal, serving as Asia Economics Editor of the paper. In 2011, he was one of the first journalists to arrive at the scene of the raid in which Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden. He is a Pulitzer finalist, a Loeb winner, and has garnered numerous awards from the Society of Publishers in Asia, which in 2016 named him “Journalist of the Year”. He speaks English, Indonesian, French and Italian. 

Ken Brown is Editor of Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal’s home to commentary and analysis on business, markets and the economy. He returned to New York in 2016 after five years in Asia, where he ran the Journal’s Hong Kong bureau, and its regional finance and markets coverage. In Asia, Mr. Brown launched the WSJ award-winning coverage of the financial fraud involving Malaysia’s 1MDB. He graduated from SUNY Binghamton and Columbia University. (Moderator)

Regular Menu:
San Daniele Ham with Figs, Burrata Cheese and Balsamic Pearls
Pan-seared Seabass with Sweet Potato, Green Velouté Sauce
Crème Catalan with Fresh Strawberries and Basil

Vegetarian Menu:
Beetroot Salad with Baby Mozzarella, Walnuts and Orange Essence (V)
Seared Cod Fish (made by Soya Protein and Wheat Protein) with Fava Beans, Saffron Velouté and Polenta (V)
Crème Catalan with Fresh Strawberries and Basil