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How Chris Hohn built the world’s most profitable hedge fund - Financial Times

Reported by Ft
May 21, 2026· 3 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • Chris Hohn's TCI Fund Management generated $18.9 billion in profits during 2025, the highest annual profit ever recorded by any hedge fund in a single year, according to LCH Investments' annual survey of the top 20 hedge fund managers.
  • • TCI currently manages approximately $30 billion in assets under management, establishing it as one of the industry's largest hedge fund firms and demonstrating significant investor confidence in Hohn's investment approach.
  • • Hohn's investment strategy emphasizes long-term conviction bets with average holding periods of eight years, combined with activist engagement campaigns designed to drive strategic improvements at portfolio companies, particularly those operating natural monopolies.
  • • TCI's 2025 performance represented nearly one-third of all gains generated by the top 20 hedge fund managers combined, while the top 20 funds collectively returned 10.5%, outperforming the broader hedge fund average.
  • • Hohn's portfolio includes significant positions in companies with defensible competitive advantages, such as Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Spanish airport operators, reflecting his focus on durable business models with long-term value creation potential.
Summary
Chris Hohn has established TCI Fund Management as the world's most profitable hedge fund, with the firm generating $18.9 billion in profits for investors during 2025. This figure represents a record achievement in hedge fund history, surpassing the annual profit performance of all previously documented hedge fund managers in any single year, according to LCH Investments' comprehensive annual survey of the industry's top 20 performers.

The scale of TCI's performance becomes evident when contextualized against broader industry performance. The top 20 hedge fund managers collectively achieved a 10.5% return in 2025, with TCI's $18.9 billion in profits representing nearly one-third of all gains generated by this elite cohort. This concentration of outperformance underscores Hohn's distinctive competitive advantage within the institutional asset management landscape. TCI currently manages approximately $30 billion in assets, positioning it among the industry's largest hedge fund firms and reflecting substantial institutional capital allocation to Hohn's investment philosophy.

Hohn's investment approach differs markedly from many contemporary hedge fund strategies. Rather than employing high-frequency trading or broad market exposure, TCI concentrates capital on fewer, high-conviction positions with extended holding periods averaging eight years. This patient-capital model incorporates active engagement, with Hohn frequently pursuing activist campaigns designed to catalyze strategic improvements at portfolio companies. His focus extends toward companies operating natural monopolies or possessing defensible competitive advantages—such positions have included Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Spanish airport operators—where operational improvements and strategic repositioning can compound value over multi-year periods.

Hohn founded The Children's Investment Fund Management in 2003 after building experience at private equity firm Apax Partners and hedge fund Perry Capital on Wall Street. The firm's sustained outperformance over two decades positions Hohn among the most consistently successful hedge fund managers in modern financial history, with his strategy demonstrating particular resilience and capital efficiency in generating absolute returns for institutional investors, family offices, and pension funds.

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Ft How Chris Hohn built the world’s most profitable hedge fund - Financial Times