Welcome to the VP Finance & Operations portfolio
The nine divisions of the VPFO are responsible for the stewardship of UBC’s physical and financial assets, as well as safety and risk management for our university community.
We oversee a $3.98 billion budget, a $3.38 billion endowment, and all facilities on both campuses, as well as managing 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 innovation, unity and accountability.

VPFO Strategic Plan 2024–2027
Having a strategic plan gives us a clear path, keeping everyone on the same page. Learn more about where we’re going next and how we plan to get there.
News from the VPFO
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The Integrated Service Centre (ISC) now available to support Workday
The ISC is your point of contact for Workday related questions, issues and requests. If necessary, the ISC can also connect you with other support teams around the university as needed.
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Expanding fuel resilience at UBC
Teams from Environmental Protection, Emergency Management and Energy & Water Services collaborated to expand the back-up diesel supply at the Campus Energy Centre by replacing the existing 42,000 litre tank with two 100,000 litre tanks.
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T2200 UPDATE — EXPENSES RELATING TO WORKING FROM HOME
Many members of the UBC faculty and staff community have moved to working-from-home scenarios as a result of COVID-19, and the university’s finance teams have received some questions about whether UBC will be issuing T2200 tax forms for the 2020…
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Building Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within the VPFO
A lot has happened in the world and our university to bring unconscious bias, systemic racism, and other related equity and inclusion conversations to the forefront. Our journey together into EDI is one I am looking forward to and ask…
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It’s one month to go-live for Workday, Planon and the Integrated Service Centre
Over the past two years, we have been accelerating towards a renewal of our key business systems. This week, we are only one month away from our November 2 go-live date and our continued collective engagement in training and other…
People of the VPFO
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Ernesto Castano joins UBC’s Financial Operations group as the Associate Director, Procurement
Ernesto will play a vital role in leading the Procurement function to support our community in meeting their needs through the procurement and competitive bidding processes, leveraging Workday and Planon.
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Joan Mar and Entela Ifti step into new positions in the Financial Planning & Analysis team
In their new roles, Joan and Entela will work with the Assistant Comptroller to lead the FP&A team and support our partners across the university. Joan Mar will be joining as Director, Financial Planning & Analysis on June 16, and…
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Susan Johnson steps into her new role as Senior Manager, Privacy and Information Security Risk
In her new role, Susan will continue to oversee the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) process, including major projects such as the Integrated Security Program Student (IRPS) as well as the portfolio of operational PIAs and advisory services.
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Norman Kotze joins the Emergency Management team as Associate, Emergency & Continuity Planning
In his new role, Norman will help lead continuity planning for the Vancouver Point Grey campus. Working with academic units, he will assist in the roll-out of our Continuity Planning Framework and the creation of Continuity Plans for faculties using a…
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Christine Lin joins UBC as Tax Analyst
We are pleased to welcome Christine Lin as Tax Analyst, reporting to Holly Shepherd, Tax Manager effective May 16, 2022. Christine is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with extensive experience in corporate and indirect tax within the oil and gas…