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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Read more: UBC Moves Forward with Divestment Plus

UBC Moves Forward with Divestment Plus
By taking this approach, the university will be able to assess broader environmental, social and governance issues present in its portfolio companies, and work to become an active investor that influences outcomes.
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Read more: A friendly reminder to run the cold water taps to ensure water is fresh
A friendly reminder to run the cold water taps to ensure water is fresh
As many buildings on campus have reduced occupancy, we want to remind everyone that running the cold water taps until the water is cold is an important step before drinking or using for food preparation. This will ensure the water…
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Read more: Extension to UBC’s Year End Schedule
Extension to UBC’s Year End Schedule
The university’s year end process is currently ongoing, although this cycle has experienced several disruptions. To give UBC’s financial community as much time as possible to process year end, the schedule has been extended by a few days.
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Read more: Construction projects remain active on campus
Construction projects remain active on campus
As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, the province has listed construction as an essential service in B.C. Worksites are taking all necessary precautions as advised by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Provincial Health Officials.
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Read more: Changes to UBC’s Hourly Payroll Process
Changes to UBC’s Hourly Payroll Process
In order to ensure the timely processing of UBC’s hourly payroll, given the impact of COVID-19 measures, the university’s Payroll team has established a new process to eliminate the need for paper timesheets to collect, approve, and process hours for…
People of the VPFO
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Read more: Parveen Mann joins UBC as Director, Human Resources
Parveen Mann joins UBC as Director, Human Resources
We are pleased to welcome Parveen Mann to the VPFO as our new Director of Human Resources, reporting to Vice-President, Finance & Operations, Peter Smailes, effective June 21.
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Read more: VPFO Finance Realignments Following Workday Go-Live
VPFO Finance Realignments Following Workday Go-Live
Many members of our VPFO team played key roles in launch of Workday at UBC, and following the success of go-live we are ready to continue modernizing our core business processes, improve how we are structured, and transform the way…
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Read more: Leadership one-on-one with our Comptroller, Karamjeet Heer
Leadership one-on-one with our Comptroller, Karamjeet Heer
As UBC’s Comptroller, Karamjeet is responsible for ensuring the university’s fiscal sustainability by providing financial intelligence and strategy. This week she has been featured in the UBC Today Leadership One-on-One interview series.
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Read more: Yvonne Kwok promoted to Communications Manager, Facilities and Safety & Risk Services
Yvonne Kwok promoted to Communications Manager, Facilities and Safety & Risk Services
Yvonne Kwok will be expanding her role as Communications Manager, Facilities & SRS, effective Friday, May 21, 2021.
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Read more: Dawn Irmscher joins UBC as Director of Payroll
Dawn Irmscher joins UBC as Director of Payroll
Dawn brings a wealth of experience in finance, operations, technical, and systems implementation to the university, and most recently served as the Director of Finance for the Sooke School District in Victoria, BC.