Rayna Hannaway

Rayna Lesser Hannaway is the Head of the Small Company Growth Team and lead Portfolio Manager at Polen Capital Management LLC, based in Beverly, MA. In her current role, she oversees the U.S. Small Company Growth and U.S. SMID Company Growth strategies, managing concentrated portfolios focused on high-quality, high-growth small-cap equities. Her investment process emphasizes rigorous evaluation of business quality, management teams, and sustainable profitability, typically maintaining portfolios of 25–45 holdings to ensure selectivity in the small-cap growth universe.

Rayna specializes in U.S. small-cap and SMID-cap equities, selecting companies with strong competitive advantages, robust business models, and compelling reinvestment opportunities. Her approach prioritizes sectors where growth potential is paired with disciplined management, often highlighting technology, insurance, and analytics among her holdings (such as Globant, Goosehead Insurance, and Clearwater Analytics).

Prior to joining Polen Capital, Rayna spent nine years as a research analyst at Fidelity Investments focusing on small and mid-cap businesses, and held earlier roles at Jennison Associates and Lord Abbett & Company, specializing in small-cap research. She is recognized for her long-term, quality-driven investment discipline and serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay and as Board Chair at RAW Artworks, demonstrating her commitment to both the financial sector and her local community.