Early Life
Christopher Hohn was born in October 1966 in Addlestone, Surrey, England. His father, Paul, was a Jamaican-born car mechanic, and his mother was a legal secretary. Hohn attended St Paul's County Secondary School, graduating in 1983. He pursued higher education at the University of Southampton, where he earned a first-class honors degree in accounting and business economics in 1988. He later attended Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA and graduated as a Baker Scholar, a distinction reserved for the top 5% of the class.
Rise to Success
Hohn's career began in private equity at Apax Partners. He then moved to Perry Capital, a hedge fund on Wall Street, and later became the head of Perry's London operations in 1998. In 2003, he founded The Children's Investment Fund Management (TCI), a hedge fund known for its activist investment approach. TCI quickly became successful, managing billions in assets.
Key Business Strategies
TCI is recognized for its long-term investment approach, focusing on high-quality companies with sustainable competitive advantages. Hohn is known for his shareholder activism, using his significant stakes in companies to drive changes that enhance shareholder value. His portfolio is concentrated on a few key holdings, with significant positions in companies like General Electric, Visa, Microsoft, Moody's, and S&P Global. TCI's investment strategy has resulted in strong returns over the years.
Philanthropy
Hohn is also a well-known philanthropist, and he established the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), a charity focused on improving the lives of children in developing countries. TCI initially contributed a portion of its profits to CIFF. As of 2019, Hohn's lifetime giving was listed at $4.5 billion by Forbes. Hohn was knighted in 2014 for his services to philanthropy and international development.