Kate Austin

Kate Austin is a Senior Research Associate on the Credit team at Polen Capital Management LLC, based in the Greater Boston area. In her current role, she is primarily responsible for conducting fundamental credit research and supporting investment decisions across leveraged credit, with a focus on high-yield bonds and Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs). Her research emphasizes rigorous due diligence and downside protection, contributing to concentrated, high-conviction credit portfolios targeting attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Kate’s sector and asset class expertise centers on leveraged credit markets, including both the US and European high-yield segments as well as specialized CLO strategies. She supports Polen Capital’s disciplined bottom-up investment process, evaluating aspects such as issuers’ competitive moats, growth prospects, capital structures, and balance sheets within public and private credit markets.

Before joining Polen Capital in 2022, Kate was a Senior Analyst at SCS Financial, gaining diverse experience in credit and investment research. She holds an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Finance from Boston College, and a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Butler University, bringing nearly a decade of industry experience to her role at Polen Capital.