"As asset managers expand their product lineups and address more sales channels, the job of wholesaler is becoming more complicated — and so firms are finding even more value in the mentoring that Divisionals provide. This trend should continue into the coming years."

Loren Fox Fuse Research Network LLC Director of Research

So says Loren Fox, director of research at Fuse Research Network, in an email to MFWire. Late last month, Fox unveiled findings from the Needham, Massachusetts-based firm's first ever Divisionals in Action: Juggling Roles, Driving Results report. That report, relased on August 20, is part of Fuse's four-years "Special Benchmark" series and draws on a July 2025 online survey of sales leaders at asset managers with a combined $2.9 trillion in mutual fund and ETF AUM.

On average, those sales leaders say they expect to have 3.6 divisional and regional sales managers per firm in 2026, the Fuse folks found. That's up a bit from 3.4 per firm this year and 3.3 per firm in 2024. About one in five of those firms' leaders (about 20 percent) expect to expand their divisional or regional sales manager counts next year.

"Over the long term, growth in Divisionals tracks growth in wholesalers, as firms try to have one Divisional for every 10-15 external wholesalers," Fox tells MFWire. "Also, as distribution grows more complex, these senior sales professionals cover a range of invaluable responsibilities that contribute to the firm’s overall success." 

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