We are trusted advisors, partners and professional service providers who continuously improve delivery of responsive and adaptive services and solutions to our stakeholders
The eight departments of the VP Finance & Operations (VPFO) portfolio are responsible for the stewardship of UBC’s physical and financial assets. We oversee a $2.8 billion budget, a $1.7 billion endowment, and all university facilities on both campuses. The VPFO also manages the university’s relationships with UBC Investment Management and UBC Properties Trust. In all the portfolio’s responsibilities, we are committed to the values of excellence, integrity, respect, accountability, and safety.
Welcome Frank Laezza, UBC’s new Vice-President, Finance & Operations
March 13th marks the official start of Frank Laezza’s tenure as UBC’s new Vice-President, Finance & Operations. As a strong believer in connected leadership, Frank is looking forward to working with everyone at UBC in the oversight of our core financial, facilities, and safety functions, across both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Get to meet Frank:
- Welcome Frank Laezza — A quick introduction and welcome to Frank
- Get to know Frank Laezza — A Proust-style questionnaire
- Frank’s Biography — Learn more about Frank’s background and role
News From the VPFO
March 29, 2023
UBC reaffirmed with “AA+” rating from S&P Global
The international credit rating agency has re-affirmed UBC’s credit and senior unsecured debt ratings as “AA+”. The rating conveys S&P’s assessment that UBC has a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments and as such, UBC’s financial obligations are high quality and very low credit risk.
Educating young children on solid waste collection on campus
The Waste Management team in Municipal Services within UBC Facilities recently paid a visit to the Berwick Child Development Centre to educate young children about the vehicles and equipment used for solid waste collection on the UBC Vancouver campus.
Be a voice for campus safety!
UBC Vancouver Campus Security is taking a look at its services and organizational model to better understand how it can best meet the needs of a rapidly changing community. One important part of this review will be a community engagement process with students, faculty, and staff. Whether or not you have accessed Campus Security services, you can provide input between March 27 and April 18, 2023.
Upcoming road closures on UBC Vancouver campus as of March 17, 2023
The following road closures are expected around the UBC Vancouver campus as of March 17, 2023. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Dealing with natural disasters at UBC
Featured in University Affairs (UA), Hailey Maxwell, Manager of Emergency Management & Continuity Planning speaks about some of the programs and activities UBC offers to help students, faculty, and staff prepare for different types of emergencies.
People of the VPFO
March 20, 2023
VPFO Communications & Engagement team completes Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification
In addition to the entire team earning certification in PROSCI’s change management methodology, the team is now better equipped to help UBC achieve its process improvement goals with Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification from the UBC Sauder School of Business.
Growing our capabilities and strengthening the Treasury team
With the transition of Holly’s maternity leave, Treasury has taken this as an opportunity to grow the capabilities and knowledge of the Treasury team, and strengthen the team’s ability to provide value-added service and advice across UBC. Please join us in congratulating Holly on the upcoming addition to her family and Doug Cheung, Sarah Goold, and Raffaela Mendel on their new roles.
Pera Hardy joins the Facilities Planning team in Infrastructure Development as Senior Facilities Planner
Pera is a registered architect (AIBC) and LEED Green Associate, Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). Her programming, planning, design and construction experience in K-12 schools and post-secondary projects will be very beneficial to facilities planning work on campus.
Frank Laezza — Get to Know UBC’s new Vice-President Finance & Operations
It would be difficult for anyone to argue that Frank Laezza isn’t willing to go the distance for UBC. Fresh off a flight from Perth, Australia, he quite literally came from the opposite side of the planet to take up his post as the university’s new Vice-President, Finance & Operations.
Oliver Choo joins as Finance Director, Vice President Research and Innovation
In his new role, Oliver will be responsible for providing strategic financial leadership within the 16 units of the VPRI portfolio. In addition to managing the portfolio budget of $58M, Oliver will support key initiatives that have significant impact on the research community such as Share Research Platform (SRP).
Dimitri Kavouras steps into new role as Subhead Controls Electrician in Building Operations
Passionate about contributing to the UBC community, Dimitri is a current shop steward, previous union delegate, and participant in two apprenticeship committees. He was awarded the Kim Nulty award in 2020 for his contributions and excellence in categories like employee engagement, asset stewardship and customer service.
Building a more innovative campus — one project at a time
A powerful duo in the VPFO, Aletha Utimati, a PMP-certified Project Manager and Sandy Sull, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) bring completely different expertise but share a vision for an innovative campus, a passion for collaboration, and the ability to shift gears and adapt quickly to build an amazing and engaging Vancouver campus.
Rosanna Ma steps into new role as Facilities Safety Associate
Rosanna’s experience in the Research Compliance and Occupational Hygiene team in SRS and consulting industry will be extremely beneficial in her new role. She will be transitioning from the Donald Rix office to join the Facilities Safety team in the University Services Building.