How hedge fund star got over his £337m divorce: He gave himself £100m pay rise!
A hedge fund boss has given himself a £155million pay- out after going through one of the most expensive divorce settlements in history.
Sir Chris hohn split from his American wife Jamie Cooper-hohn in an acrimonious battle which saw her walk away with £337million.
The 50-year-old financier, who is thought to be worth £720million and has given at least £1billion to charity over the years, made about £57million in 2015.
But his firm’s latest accounts suggest he almost tripled the amount he took home this year. he is thought to have pocketed £155million from his business, The Children’s Investment Fund (TCI).
Sir Chris and his ex-wife, 51, became the darlings of the City after their marriage in 1985. They gained a reputation as generous charity givers and were popular members of the London financial set. But they shocked onlookers when it was reported in 2013 that they were ‘living separate lives’. The marriage quickly descended into acrimony, and their battle over assets ended up in court.
despite his vast fortune, Sir Chris told the court that he lived ‘a very simple life’. The judge in the case suggested he had a ‘Swatch watch lifestyle rather than a Rolex one’.
But in a series of increasingly bitter exchanges, his wife claimed that his philanthropy developed under her influence – and he was once only interested in becoming rich.
In return, Sir Chris reportedly accused her of seeking maintenance payments for a dog that never existed.
She then claimed the couple, who have four children together, were a partnership and she was entitled to half his wealth.
She was ultimately granted £337million, but still railed against the ‘unjust’ judge- ment, saying she deserved more from Sir Chris – who was knighted for his fundraising in 2014 – before finally deciding not to appeal.
The new accounts for Sir Chris’s fund, which he founded in 2003, suggest it turned a £197 million profit in the year to February, a rise of 10.6 per cent on the previous 12 months.
It will be seen in the City as another stellar performance by a boss who once boasted he was ‘ an unbelievable money-maker’.
Last night a spokesman for TCI would not comment on the pay deal.
‘A dog that never existed’