Dave Breazzano
Dave Breazzano is Head of the Credit Team at Polen Capital, where he oversees approximately $8 billion of the firm’s $65 billion in assets under management. He also serves as Co-Portfolio Manager of Polen Capital’s U.S. Opportunistic High Yield and U.S. High Yield strategies. With more than 40 years of experience, Breazzano is a highly respected veteran of the credit markets, specializing in high-yield bonds, distressed debt, and special situations investing. Prior to joining Polen Capital, Breazzano was the Founder of DDJ Capital Management, where he built the boutique firm into a premier credit investment manager known for its disciplined approach to high-yield and special situations strategies. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President and Portfolio Manager in Fidelity Investments’ High Income Group, where he managed more than $4 billion in high-yield and distressed assets. He began his career at T. Rowe Price, spending five years as a High Yield Analyst and Portfolio Manager.
Dave Breazzano Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
-
Head of the Credit Team and Portfolio Manager
-
Vice President and Portfolio Manager
-
Vice President and High Yield Portfolio Manager
Academic History
-
M.B.A., Finance and Accounting
-
B.A., Political Science and Economics
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Head of the Credit Team, Polen Capital
Board of Directors, Children's Trust Fund
Board of Trustees, Union College
Board of Trustees, Cornell University
Board of Trustees, SC Johnson College of Business Leadership Council
DDJ CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
DDJ Capital Management was a value-oriented, bottom-up credit investment manager specializing in high-yield bonds, bank loans, and special situations investing.
As Founder, Dave Breazzano oversaw all aspects of the firm’s operations and investment process, while chairing the Management Operating, Remuneration, and Investment Review Committees.
He also served as Portfolio Manager for DDJ’s U.S. Opportunistic High Yield and Upper Tier U.S. High Yield strategies, which earned the firm a strong reputation for disciplined credit selection and downside-focused investing.
In 2022, DDJ Capital Management was acquired by Polen Capital, a transaction that established and significantly expanded Polen’s dedicated Credit platform and marked a major milestone in the firm’s evolution into a multi-asset investment manager.
EARLY CAREER
Breazzano began his career in high-yield investing at First Investors, then the largest high-yield buy-side firm in the market.
In 1985, he joined T. Rowe Price, where he helped launch a high-yield mutual fund that quickly grew to $100 million in assets.
He later moved to Fidelity Investments, where he ran the firm’s flagship high-yield fund and co-managed its bankruptcy and distressed investment strategies.
During his tenure at Fidelity, he served as Portfolio Manager of the Fidelity Capital & Income Fund, which was among the largest high-yield funds in the industry at the time.