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June 10, 2025 | 7 min read
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Kyall Mai didn’t set out to become a poster boy for B2B marketing’s future. But as chief innovation officer at Esquire Bank, and now ANA’s 2025 B2 Marketer of the Year, that’s exactly where he’s landed.
Kyall Mai, ANA’s 2025 B2 Marketer of the Year / ANA B2 Awards
His approach? Less about shiny tech for the sake of it, and more about building marketing around empathy, AI and actual usefulness. All in a category – banking for law firms – hardly known for emotional resonance or creativity.
“We’re in an industry that doesn’t usually get credit for this kind of work,” Mai tells The Drum. “That’s changing.”
The award may have been handed out days ago, but it speaks to years of effort: a steady reshaping of Esquire’s marketing engine into something sharper, more personal, and frankly, more human.
“For me, this award’s personal,” he says. “As a Vietnamese boat refugee, it’s a full-circle moment – especially in a year marking 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. It’s a quiet tribute to my parents’ sacrifice.”
That backstory helps explain Mai’s appetite for risk and reinvention. Under his leadership, Esquire Bank has made bold bets – on technology, on emotional storytelling, and on the idea that B2B doesn’t have to mean boring.
It’s also helped fuel growth. The bank made Fortune’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies list this year and expanded into new markets like California. But Mai insists the bigger shift has been internal.
“We started asking harder questions,” he says. “What if AI, data and storytelling weren’t separate strategies – but parts of the same machine?”
That shift powered Esquire’s westward push. “We’re asking lawyers to walk away from legacy banking relationships. That’s no small ask,” says Mai. “So we built campaigns that show we understand them better than anyone else.”
It’s a move backed by serious infrastructure. “This award reflects a multi-year investment in our digital-first, customer-centric banking model,” he adds. “We’ve built the tech stack – and the marketing capabilities – to support it.”
That investment shows up in LawyerIQ, the bank’s AI-driven content platform, built to combine first-party data with insight-led storytelling.
“It’s not just pushing out content,” Mai explains. “It’s understanding the specifics of a law firm’s needs – then showing up with something that actually helps.”
He’s convinced that emotion belongs in even the driest sectors. “Challenging the status quo isn’t a campaign line for us. It’s the culture. We’re obsessed with the customer.”
That obsession shows in the bank’s switch campaigns, which position Esquire as the better bet over larger incumbents. “We know our customers well enough to say, with confidence, ‘We can serve you better.’ And we can prove it.”
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While many still treat AI as a clever add-on, Mai says it’s foundational to how the team works.
“We didn’t tack AI onto our process – we rebuilt our process around it,” he says. “It’s powering how we personalise, recommend content, track performance, and even collaborate internally.”
That has real operational impact. “AI freed up time we used to spend on repetitive tasks – so now we can work more closely with sales, iterate more often, and actually think,” says Mai.
It’s also changing perceptions internally. “Marketing’s now a testing ground for the rest of the business,” he says. “We’re showing you can scale without losing the human touch.”
And while he’s bullish on AI, he’s not starry-eyed. “If you just follow what the tools give you, your work won’t stand out. AI can help – but your perspective is still the difference.”
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When asked what he’s learned from reshaping a marketing function around AI, Mai is candid.
“We started out thinking it would just help us write better email subject lines,” he laughs. “But it’s raised the bar on everything.”
His advice for emerging B2B marketers?
“Don’t fear the tech – learn it. But don’t lose sight of the fact that marketing is still about human connection. AI won’t replace your instincts.”
“Bring your voice. Make it personal. That’s the bit AI can’t do.”
Given his own path – from refugee to innovation leader – that personal touch clearly goes a long way.
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