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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Three recipients of this year’s Campus as a Living Lab ‘Grand Challenge’ are from the VPFO portfolio
Three recipients selected for this year’s Campus as a Living Lab ‘Grand Challenge’ all belong to the VPFO portfolio and will be moving forward with a total of $600k in funding. Congratulations to Facilities, Safety & Risk Services, and Campus…
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Get to know the senior leadership team: John Metras
Fostering a culture of purpose driven leadership, get to know John Metras, Associate Vice-President, Facilities and his leadership vision: “I am an inclusive, action-oriented leader. I engage and empower my team and collaborate with stakeholders to build and maintain a…
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T2200S Update – Temporary Flat Rate method of claiming home office expenses discontinued for the 2023 tax year
The “Temporary Flat Rate Method” of claiming home expenses on the T2200S form ended December 31, 2022, and is no longer available for the 2023 tax year. If you require a T2200 detailed form, please ask your faculty/department to complete…
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Jack Bell Building Renewal
Construction will begin this month on the Jack Bell Building Renewal. This project will mitigate deferred maintenance and seismically upgrade the building, while also reconfiguring its existing spaces to support state-of-the-art learning environments for the School of Social Work in…
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Derek Ho joins Safety & Risk Services as Lead Advisor, Privacy & Information Security Risk
Derek Ho joins Safety & Risk Services’ Privacy & Information Security Management (PrISM) team as Lead Advisor in Privacy & Information Security Risk. The SRS PrISM team delivers privacy and security risk assessments, campus-wide training and risk advisory services to…
People of the VPFO
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Shilan Keshvadi joins Safety & Risk Services as Associate, Health & Safety Education and Audit
Prior to joining us, Shilan was a Research Safety Coordinator at Simon Fraser University, where she acted as the EHS (environment, health, and safety) resource person for the Local Joint Health & Safety Committee to provide updates on policies and practices and address…
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Sandy Sull joins as the Finance Manager, Project Accounting
Sandy is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with over 16 years of accounting experience across various industries. She will partner with other VPFO team members to continuously improve business processes and enable effective financial management throughout the portfolio.
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Stuart Gilbert joins Energy & Water Services as the Assistant Civil Engineer in Engineering & Utilities
Stuart will be responsible for developing and managing programs to achieve the implementation of infrastructure and services plans, reporting to Doug Doyle, Senior Manager, and work closely with the Mechanical Utilities unit.
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Celebrating UBC VPFO’s longest-serving staff
The VPFO team has a number of long service member inductees this year. This is an amazing personal accomplishment for the individuals and a true testament to their devotion to service at UBC. See the full list of VPFO team…
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New Project Coordinator and Project Supervisors begin their roles in Asset Replacement & Improvements
Asset Replacement & Improvements (ARI) is in the process of implementing a new approach to the Construction Office, which will allow for greater project delivery efficiency, and help our teams be more successful in service delivery to the community. A…