Hedge fund billionaire Sir Chris Hohn has paid himself a substantial £60 million dividend while simultaneously cementing his status as one of the world's most generous philanthropists, with his firm directing close to £600 million to charitable causes in the past year.
Record Profits Fuel Unprecedented Giving
The surge in charitable giving was powered by a stellar performance at Hohn's TCI Fund Management. The investment shop saw its turnover soar above $1 billion (£740 million) for the first time ever in the period to March 2025, a significant jump from the $844 million generated in the previous twelve months.
This robust financial health enabled the firm, widely regarded as one of the UK's most successful hedge funds, to dramatically increase donations to its charitable arm. Contributions rocketed to $797 million, a sharp rise from the $427 million issued the year before.
A Vocal Critic of Government Aid Policy
The primary beneficiary of this generosity is The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), which distributes funds to programmes focused on children's development, sexual health, and mitigating climate change impacts in developing nations. The consistent nine-figure annual donations from the $70 billion TCI have made Hohn a globally recognised figure in philanthropy, earning him a knighthood in 2014 for his services.
Hohn has been an outspoken critic of successive governments' decisions to reduce foreign aid spending. Following the Starmer administration's move to divert 0.2 per cent of GDP from the aid budget to defence, the financier revealed he had personally given an extra $328 million to charitable causes in an attempt to bridge the gap.
Branding the cuts as "very cruel" in an interview with The Times last August, he warned that the combined effect of this cut and the earlier reduction under Rishi Sunak—from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of national income in 2021—would cost "a lot of lives, maybe in the millions".
Dividend Reflects Strong Fund Performance
Alongside the philanthropic push, TCI issued a total dividend of $81.6 million over the 2024/5 period, up from $52.2 million the preceding year. This payout, from which Hohn's £60 million share derives, remains lower than the historic $689.6 million dividend issued following bumper returns during the pandemic, which is believed to be a record for an individual in the UK.
The dual actions of taking a significant personal dividend and overseeing monumental charitable donations highlight the unique position of one of Britain's most prominent financiers, who continues to leverage his wealth to influence global child welfare and climate policy while challenging government spending priorities.
