{{Short description|British hedge fund manager (born 1966)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = [[Sir]] | name = Chris Hohn | honorific_suffix = [[Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]] | image = Chris Hohn GFSS 2023.jpg | caption = Hohn in 2023 | birth_name = Christopher Anthony Hohn | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1966|10}} | birth_place = [[Addlestone]], [[Surrey]], England | death_date = | death_place = | education = [[University of Southampton]]<br /> [[Harvard Business School]] | occupation = [[hedge fund|Hedge fund manager]] | employer = | known_for = Founder and CEO, [[The Children's Investment Fund Management]] Founder and Chair, [[The Children's Investment Fund Foundation]] | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | boards = | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Jamie Cooper|1995|end=divorced}} * {{marriage|Kylie Richardson|2022}} }} | children = 4 | parents = | relatives = }}
'''Sir Christopher Anthony Hohn'''<ref>[https://ciff.org/team/chris-hohn/ CHRIS HOHN Co-Founder] ciff.org</ref> [[Order of St Michael and St George|KCMG]] (born October 1966) is a British billionaire [[hedge fund|hedge fund manager]]. As of 2025, he is worth $11.2 billion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bloomberg Billionaires Index |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/profiles/christopher-a-hohn/ |access-date=30 September 2025 |work=Bloomberg.com |date=29 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
In 2003, Hohn established [[The Children's Investment Fund Management]] (TCI), a [[value investing|value-based]] hedge fund. Profits generated by the fund were initially proportionately allocated to [[The Children's Investment Fund Foundation]], a registered charity in England and Wales.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8550747/Hedge-fund-boss-Chris-Hohn-gives-away-1bn-in-five-years.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Louise | last=Armitstead | title=Hedge fund boss Chris Hohn gives away £1bn in five years | date=1 June 2011}}</ref>
He is known as an [[activist investor]], and is an outspoken advocate of urgent action on [[climate change]].<ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite web|date=1 March 2021|title=Billionaire hedge fund boss pays himself UK record of £343m|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/01/billionaire-hedge-fund-boss-pays-himself-uk-record-of-343m-chris-hohn|access-date=1 March 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
==Early life== Christopher Anthony Hohn was born in October 1966<ref name="Companies House">{{cite web|title=THE CHILDREN'S INVESTMENT FUND FOUNDATION (UK)|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/04370006/officers|website=Companies House|accessdate=26 April 2016}}</ref> in [[Addlestone]], [[Surrey]],<ref name="FT" /> United Kingdom. His father Paul was a [[Jamaica]]n-born car mechanic of European descent who moved to Britain in 1960, and his mother was a legal secretary from [[East Sussex]].<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2166369/Chris-Hohn-profile-Britains-biggest-charity-donor.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Andy | last=Bloxham | title=Chris Hohn profile: Britain's biggest charity donor | date=20 June 2008}}</ref>
He was a pupil at St Paul's County Secondary School in Addlestone between 1979 and 1983, gaining 13 [[O Levels]]. He then attended the [[University of Southampton]], and graduated in 1988 with first-class honours in accounting and business economics.<ref name=FT>[https://www.ft.com/content/da1a54f0-5277-11e1-9f55-00144feabdc0 TCI goes where other funds fear to tread – FT.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He briefly worked for [[Coopers & Lybrand]] to help cover his impending student loan repayments.<ref name=ii141008 /><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 June 2008 |title=The couple behind the £466m charity donation |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/2792014/The-couple-behind-the-466m-charity-donation.html |work=The Telegraph}}</ref> While at Southampton, a tutor advised him to apply for [[Harvard Business School]], where he completed the [[Master of Business Administration]] course.<ref name=autogenerated3 /> He graduated in 1993 as a Baker Scholar, meaning he was among the top five percent of graduates.<ref name=autogenerated3 />
==Career== After graduating, Hohn started working for the [[private equity]] group [[Apax Partners]] in 1994.<ref name="FT" /> In 1996, he went to work for [[Perry Capital]], a hedge fund on [[Wall Street]].<ref name=FT /> In 1998, he was made head of their London operations.<ref name=FT />
In 2003, Hohn set up his own hedge fund, [[The Children's Investment Fund Management|The Children's Investment Fund]]. TCI donated regularly to a connected charitable fund, [[The Children's Investment Fund Foundation]], run by his then-wife, Jamie. The original formula involved transfers of 0.5 percent of the fund's assets each year, with a further 0.5 per cent of assets for every year during which the fund achieved returns of more than 11 per cent. It is reported that Hohn established the formulaic charitable link in order to motivate himself.<ref name=FT /> Coinciding with the couple's divorce proceedings, changes set in motion in 2012 led to the splitting up of the fund and the foundation. The fund no longer donates money to the foundation on a contractual basis, though it may do so on a discretionary basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/tci-hedge-fund-in-britain-ends-ties-to-charitable-arm/|title=TCI Hedge Fund in Britain Ends Ties to Charitable Arm|date=18 June 2014}}</ref>
In 2019, it was reported that he had built a €730m stake in [[Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] Airport via a range of investment companies jointly taking a 4% stake in Spanish multinational [[Ferrovial]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/10/19/extinction-rebellion-backer-chris-hohn-builds-800m-stake-heathrow/|title=Extinction Rebellion backer Chris Hohn builds £630m stake in Heathrow|last=Gill|first=Oliver|date=19 October 2019|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=20 October 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>
In conjunction with TCI, Hohn launched the "Say on climate" initiative. The idea of the campaign is to make companies disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and their plans to manage these emissions and also give shareholders an advisory vote on the plans and their results. The initiative was first implemented by [[ENAIRE|Aena]], [[Unilever]], [[Glencore]], and [[Canadian National Railway|CN]] but it has won many critics at the same time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gara|first=Antoine|title=Billionaire Chris Hohn Explains Why Increased Disclosure Will Force Companies To Cut Their Carbon Emissions|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoinegara/2021/03/09/billionaire-chris-hohn-explains-why-increased-disclosure-will-force-companies-to-cut-their-carbon-emissions/|access-date=8 August 2021|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>
=== Investor activism === In November 2022, Hohn, on behalf of TCI, wrote an open letter to [[Sundar Pichai]], CEO of [[Alphabet Inc.|Alphabet]] and [[Google]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Kruppa |first=Miles |title=Activist Investor TCI Calls on Google Parent Alphabet to Slash Costs |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/activist-investor-calls-on-google-parent-alphabet-to-slash-costs-11668528859 |access-date=2022-11-26 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=15 November 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2022-11-15 |title=Investor TCI urges Alphabet to cut excessive headcount, costs |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/hedge-fund-tci-says-alphabet-cost-base-too-high-2022-11-15/ |access-date=2022-11-26}}</ref> In the letter, Hohn stated that Google's headcount was too high and should be reduced.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He also stated that there should be more effort to reduce losses in its self-driving unit, [[Waymo]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> On January 20, 2023, Alphabet cut 12,000 jobs which was 6% of its workforce.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-23 |title=Christopher Hohn wants Alphabet to lay off 20% of its staff and cut employee pay |url=https://fortune.com/2023/01/23/christopher-hohn-rishi-sunak-old-boss-tci-fund-management-letter-to-alphabet-sundar-pichai/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123162647/https://fortune.com/2023/01/23/christopher-hohn-rishi-sunak-old-boss-tci-fund-management-letter-to-alphabet-sundar-pichai/ |archive-date=23 January 2023 }}</ref> On the same day, Hohn issued another letter to Pichai stating that there should be further job cuts with a target of 20%.<ref name=":2" /> The letter also states that management should address excessive employee compensation.
===Remuneration=== Hohn took £200m in dividend payments in 2018, slightly more than his Children's Investment (TCI) fund made in profit. This was down from $274m in 2017 and $364m in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/04/hedge-fund-boss-pays-himself-200m-despite-funds-profits-falling|title=Hedge fund boss pays himself £200m despite fund's profits falling|last=|first=|date=4 December 2019|website=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204222706/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/04/hedge-fund-boss-pays-himself-200m-despite-funds-profits-falling |archive-date=2019-12-04 |access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref> His 2015 earnings of $250 million ranked him 12th among the 25 top earning hedge fund managers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/hedge-fund-managers/list/#tab:overall|title=The Highest-Earning Hedge Fund Managers & Traders|newspaper=Forbes|access-date=24 November 2016}}</ref>
From March 2019 to March 2020 he paid himself $479 million, the highest annual amount paid to a person in the UK.<ref name="theguardian.com"/>
In December 2023, Hohn received a £275 million dividend from TCI Fund Management.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin|first=Ben |date=2023-12-08 |title=TCI founder Chris Hohn pays himself £275m dividend |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/markets/article/tci-founder-chris-hohn-pays-himself-275m-dividend-sszdf7639 |access-date=2023-12-08 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
==Philanthropy== As of 2019, Hohn's lifetime giving was listed at $4.5 billion by ''Forbes''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Çam|first=Deniz|title=From Azim Premji to Carlos Slim: The World's Most Generous Billionaires Outside Of The U.S.|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes/2019/03/26/from-azim-premji-to-carlos-slim-the-worlds-most-generous-billionaires-outside-of-the-us/|access-date=23 July 2021|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>
In 2019 it was reported by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' that Hohn had donated £50,000 to environmental activist group [[Extinction Rebellion]], with a further £150,000 donated by the Children's Investment Fund Foundation. None of the Charity's money was spent on civil disobedience, it was claimed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/10/extinction-rebellion-funded-charity-set-one-britains-richest/|title=Extinction Rebellion funded by charity set up by one of Britain's richest men|last=Dixon|first=Hayley|date=10 October 2019|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=20 October 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> As of January 2022, Hohn was the single biggest individual donor to [[Extinction Rebellion]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neate |first=Rupert |date=2022-01-17 |title=Extinction Rebellion donor leads world's top-performing hedge fund |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/17/billionaire-philanthropist-leads-worlds-top-performing-hedge-funds |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Hohn is the single largest individual funder of [[Extinction Rebellion]], a group that orchestrates high-profile climate protests around the world,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Neate |first1=Rupert |title=Extinction Rebellion donor leads world's top-performing hedge fund |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/17/billionaire-philanthropist-leads-worlds-top-performing-hedge-funds |access-date=18 December 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=17 January 2022}}</ref> and whose U.S. affiliate has called for "rebellion against the U.S. government for its criminal inaction on the ecological crisis."
In April 2020, he made a £2.4 million donation to purchase around 100 SAMBA II machines to test for COVID-19.<ref>{{cite web|author=Craig Brierley Communications team |url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/rapid-covid-19-diagnostic-test-developed-by-cambridge-team-to-be-deployed-in-hospitals |title=Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test developed by Cambridge team to be deployed in hospitals | University of Cambridge |publisher=Cam.ac.uk |date= 2 April 2020|accessdate=3 April 2020}}</ref>
In April 2025, in response to the [[second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]]'s cutoff of [[USAID]] funds, Hohn donated to MANA Nutrition, a company in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], to enable continued production of [[Peanut#Nutrition|peanut butter paste]] for malnourished children.<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Pollard |url=https://apnews.com/article/usaid-cuts-mana-edesia-nutrition-nonprofit-peanut-paste-959070c3d3282ba3a33dccf7458bb5d8 |title=A British billionaire funded therapeutic food production amid USAID 'craziness.' It won't be enough |website=AP News |date=14 April 2025 |access-date=19 April 2025 }}</ref>
After a 2025 watchdog report indicated that between 2014 and 2023, Hohn had sent $553 million to U.S. political and environmental advocacy organizations, Hohn's foundation announced that it would stop giving money to U.S.-based groups, citing uncertainty about the U.S. policy environment governing foreign funding.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Spero |first1=Josh |last2=Mooney |first2=Attracta |last3=Mourselas |first3=Costas |last4=Miller |first4=Joe |last5=Nangle |first5=Toby |title=Chris Hohn's foundation blames 'policy environment' as it stops giving to US charities |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b87fb34e-40d6-4832-b59d-889038d5e25d |access-date=13 October 2025 |work=The Financial Times |date=October 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Wolf |first1=Rachel |title=British billionaire cuts off funding to left-wing groups after watchdog exposes $553M operation |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/british-billionaire-cuts-off-funding-left-wing-groups-after-watchdog-exposes-553m-operation |access-date=13 October 2025 |work=FOXBusiness |date=11 October 2025}}</ref> Hohn has also been a major donor to the [[Arabella Advisors]] network via the [[New Venture Fund]] and [[Windward Fund]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fleetwood |first1=Shawn |title=Meet the British Billionaire Bankrolling Leftists in U.S. |url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2025/09/26/meet_the_british_billionaire_bankrolling_leftists_in_us_654120.html |access-date=30 September 2025 |publisher=RealClearPolitics |date=September 26, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fahlberg |first1=Audrey |title=Inside British Billionaire Christopher Hohn's Efforts to Bankroll Social Justice, Climate Radicalism on U.S. Soil |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/inside-british-billionaire-christopher-hohns-efforts-to-bankroll-social-justice-climate-radicalism-on-u-s-soil/ |access-date=30 September 2025 |work=National Review |date=24 September 2025}}</ref>
==Personal life== In October 1995, he married Jamie Cooper, a fellow Harvard graduate student from Chicago, whom he had met at a party during his studies.<ref>{{cite news|last=Timmons |first=Heather |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/business/worldbusiness/26hohn.html?_r=0 |title=The Children's Investment Fund and Its Nonprofit Twin |work=The New York Times |date=26 June 2008 |accessdate=28 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=ii141008>{{Cite web |last=Adamson |first=Loch |date=14 October 2008 |title=Rethinking Chris Hohn |url=https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2btfjr5txzm66fhfunh1c/home/rethinking-chris-hohn |work=Institutional Investor}}</ref> Upon marriage, they took each other's surnames to become Cooper-Hohn, although he was still widely known as Hohn. The couple went on to have four children, including triplets.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/10910675/Hedge-fund-couple-on-track-for-Britains-first-billion-pound-divorce.html |title=Hedge-fund couple Chris Hohn and Jamie Cooper-Hohn on track for Britain's first billion pound divorce |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=18 June 2014}}</ref> In 2013, it was reported that Hohn had begun divorce proceedings with his wife.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/10406707/Royal-Mail-hedge-fund-tycoon-Chris-Hohn-posts-his-divorce-papers.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Richard | last=Eden | title=Royal Mail hedge fund tycoon Chris Hohn posts his divorce papers | date=27 October 2013}}</ref> In November 2014, he was set to pay his American-born ex-wife $500 million,<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2015/07/28/chris-hohns-activist-hedge-fund-has-big-first-half-of-2015/ |title=Chris Hohn's Activist Hedge Fund Has Big First Half Of 2015 |website=Forbes.com |date= |accessdate=28 April 2016}}</ref> in what was thought to be the biggest divorce settlement ever awarded by an English court.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.ft.com/content/a2d0ad3a-7652-11e4-a704-00144feabdc0 | location=London | work=The Financial Times | first=Jane | last=Croft | title=Chris Hohn in record-breaking $530m divorce settlement | date=28 November 2014}}</ref> In December 2014, he was ordered to pay his ex-wife £337 million.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11289857/Sir-Chris-Hohn-ordered-to-hand-over-337m-in-one-of-Englands-biggest-divorce-cases.html |title=Sir Chris Hohn ordered to hand over £337m in one of England's biggest divorce cases |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=12 December 2014 |accessdate=28 April 2016}}</ref> His second wife is Kylie Hohn (née Richardson), who has a PhD from [[Harvard University]] and has taught at Harvard and the University of Cambridge.<ref name="LightEn">{{cite web |title=LightEn founders |url=https://www.light-en.org/ |website=LightEn |access-date=10 September 2022}}</ref><ref name="Spear's">{{cite news |last1=Marsh |first1=Alec |title=Inside the exclusive Zulma Reyo School of Consciousness retreat for business leaders |url=https://spearswms.com/zulma-reyo-school-of-consciousness/ |access-date=10 September 2022 |work=Spear's |date=22 March 2022}}</ref> She is the CEO of LightEn.
Hohn was appointed [[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (KCMG) in the [[2014 Birthday Honours]] for services to philanthropy and international development.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue = 60895| date = 14 June 2014| page = b4| supp = y}}</ref>
Hohn practises yoga and does not eat meat.<ref>{{Cite news|date=5 March 2021|title=The very private life of Sir Chris Hohn – the man paid £1m a day|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/05/the-very-private-life-of-the-man-on-britains-biggest-salary|access-date=5 August 2021|work=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hohn, Chris}} [[Category:1966 births]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Southampton]] [[Category:British hedge fund managers]] [[Category:British businesspeople in finance]] [[Category:English philanthropists]] [[Category:English billionaires]] [[Category:21st-century British philanthropists]] [[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Addlestone]] [[Category:English people of Jamaican descent]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) donors]] [[Category:Shareholder-rights activists]] [[Category:Stock and commodity market managers]]