Founder and lead manager of Montreal-based Giverny Capital — a long-term Canadian investor in the Buffett tradition.
Life story
François Rochon is the founder and lead portfolio manager of Giverny Capital. Little public information is available about his childhood, family and education. André Gosselin has written a French-language book about him, "François Rochon : Le Parcours singulier d'un investisseur d'exception".
How they got started
Rochon founded Giverny Capital in Montreal and has led it for more than two decades. The firm is named after Claude Monet's famous garden in the village of Giverny, chosen as a symbol of patience and long-term effort.
The firm serves private clients, foundations, institutions and family offices, and publishes an annual letter to partners that openly discusses the year's results, mistakes and investment thinking.
Investment style
Giverny follows Warren Buffett's method: buy solid, resilient companies with lasting competitive advantages and hold them for years. The firm says its strategy has not changed since inception.
A distinctive feature is that client accounts mirror Rochon's personal "Rochon Global" portfolio, so manager and clients are "in the same boat". The firm quotes Sir John Templeton: to get better results than others, you must do something different from others.
Best decisions
Long-term record
According to the firm, Giverny's historical returns have exceeded its benchmarks, and Rochon has been ranked among the top 1% of North American equity managers. Detailed figures are published separately on the firm's website.
Biggest mistakes
Limited information
Rochon is known for candidly reviewing his mistakes in his annual letters, but we found no reliable detail on specific examples in the sources we reviewed.
Today
As of 2026 Rochon continues to run Giverny Capital in Montreal; the firm publishes its 2017–2025 annual letters on its website.
What to learn from following the portfolio
- Giverny trades rarely and holds for the long term: the most valuable signal is positions held for years, while a new position appears seldom and therefore deserves attention.
- The 13F shows only US-listed stocks — Canadian holdings may not appear — and lags by up to 45 days.
- Islamic-finance lens: Buffett-style portfolios often include banks, insurers and financial firms, which usually are not halal; consumer, industrial and technology companies may be. Check each position's halal status on the Portfolio tab.
An introduction based on public sources — not investment advice. Spotted an error? Let us know.