Christopher Hohn Net Worth (Updated 2024)

What is Christopher Hohn’s Net Worth?

Sir Christopher Hohn, the British billionaire hedge fund manager, has an estimated net worth of $9.47 billion. The primary source of Hohn’s wealth comes from his work in hedge funds and the finance industry. His company, TCI Fund Management, has been highly successful, managing approximately $57 billion in assets at the beginning of 2024. Hohn’s financial acumen has led to impressive returns, with his fund reportedly surging 33% in 2023, following a challenging period in 2022.

Hohn’s wealth has allowed him to make significant dividend payments to himself. In 2023, he paid himself a dividend of £276 million (approximately $346 million) from TCI Fund Management. While this amount is substantial, it actually represents a decrease from the previous year when he received £574 million.

Hohn is also known for his philanthropic efforts. He has donated billions to charitable causes, particularly through The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, which he co-founded. In 2014, he was knighted for his services to philanthropy and international development.

Here’s the breakdown of Christopher Hohn’s net worth:

If you’re curious about how we estimate a celebrity’s net worth, you can check out our methodology here.

Early Life

Christopher Hohn was born in October 1966 in Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom. His father, Paul, was a Jamaican-born car mechanic of European descent who immigrated to Britain in 1960, while his mother worked as a legal secretary from East Sussex. 

Despite his humble beginnings, Hohn excelled academically. He attended St Paul’s County Secondary School in Addlestone from 1979 to 1983, where he obtained 13 O Levels. 

Hohn then went on to study at the University of Southampton, graduating in 1988 with first-class honours in accounting and business economics. His academic prowess led him to Harvard Business School, where he completed his MBA in 1993, graduating as a Baker Scholar in the top 5% of his class.

Career

Hohn’s career in finance began in 1994 when he joined the private equity firm Apax Partners. In 1996, he moved to Perry Capital, a hedge fund on Wall Street, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become head of Perry’s London operations by 1998. During his time at Perry Capital, Hohn reportedly earned an estimated £75 million.

In 2003, Hohn founded The Children’s Investment Fund Management (TCI), which would become one of the world’s most successful hedge funds. TCI’s unique structure initially allocated a portion of its profits to The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, a charity focused on improving children’s lives in developing countries. 

Under Hohn’s leadership, TCI has consistently delivered impressive returns, with an annualized gain of 18% since its inception, double the return of the S&P 500 index. As of 2024, TCI manages approximately $42 billion in assets, with an additional $6.9 billion in a real estate business.

Investor Activism

Christopher Hohn is renowned for his approach to activist investing, which has earned him a reputation as one of the most formidable figures in the financial world. While he didn’t initially plan to engage in activism, it quickly became a key part of his investment strategy.

One of Hohn’s most notable activist campaigns was in 2007 when he acquired a 1% stake in Dutch banking giant ABN Amro. He filed a resolution at the company’s annual meeting urging it to put itself up for sale, which ultimately led to its acquisition by a consortium of banks for approximately $100 billion.

In recent years, Hohn has turned his activist approach towards addressing climate change. In 2020, he launched the “Say on Climate” initiative, which urges companies to disclose their emissions, present an action plan to reduce those emissions, and seek nonbinding shareholder approval on an annual basis. This initiative has been voluntarily adopted by about two dozen companies and nearly 20 asset management firms.

Donations

Christopher Hohn is widely recognized for his significant philanthropic contributions, particularly through The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), which he co-founded. CIFF focuses on improving the lives of children in developing countries, addressing issues such as climate change, malnutrition, and child sexual abuse.

As of 2014, Hohn had donated over $4.5 billion to the foundation, making him one of the world’s most generous philanthropists outside the United States.

In 2019, Hohn made headlines for his environmental activism by donating £50,000 to Extinction Rebellion, an environmental activist group, with an additional £150,000 donated by CIFF. His commitment to climate action continued with a £2.4 million donation in April 2020 to purchase SAMBA II machines for COVID-19 testing.

Despite facing an investment loss in 2022, CIFF still managed to donate $491 million to various charitable activities, demonstrating Hohn’s unwavering dedication to philanthropy.

Personal Life

Christopher Hohn married Jamie Cooper, a fellow Harvard graduate, and they had four children together, including triplets. The couple took each other’s surnames to become Cooper-Hohn, although Hohn is still widely known by his original surname. Their marriage ended in 2014, resulting in a high-profile divorce settlement where Hohn was ordered to pay his ex-wife £337 million, one of the largest settlements in UK history.

Hohn’s lifestyle is relatively modest for someone of his wealth. He practices yoga, follows a vegan diet, and has expressed a commitment to addressing societal issues such as selfishness and climate change.

In 2014, he was knighted for his services to philanthropy and international development.

Hohn is currently married to Kylie Hohn (née Richardson), who holds a PhD from Harvard University and has taught at both Harvard and the University of Cambridge. Together, they co-founded LightEn, an organization focused on various philanthropic initiatives.

Ashley Roberts

Ashley Roberts is the founder of Real-Time Billionaires List. She founded this platform because she likes to know how much celebrities are actually making. She is always curious why these people can make much more money than the ordinary person.

With a Bachelor’s degree in finance, she is skilled at financial analysis and understands numbers related to wealth. Most of the articles on this site are edited by herself before publishing.