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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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…
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Our 7th Annual Pink Shirt Day Celebration
Join the VPFO portfolio on campus for this year’s Pink Shirt Day events throughout Wednesday, February 28, and into the weekend on Saturday, March 2. Let’s come together and wear pink to celebrate diversity, inclusion, and tolerance in the most…
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Step up your safety game with UBC Alert
Download the UBC Safe Vancouver App and turn on push notifications to receive alerts for safety and security risk to the community. Check to make sure your contact information is up to date in Workday/SSC to ensure you receive UBC…
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2023 Facilities Staff Excellence Award winners
The UBC Facilities Staff Excellence Award Program provides recognition and rewards to staff who have demonstrated excellence consistently in the performance of their work and service to the university. Congratulations to our 2023 Staff Excellence Award recipients!
People of the VPFO
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Esther Li promoted to Senior Financial Processing Specialist in Treasury
Reporting to Chen Shi, Treasury Accounting Manager, Esther will continue to be responsible for the incoming payments while playing a critical role in more complicated bank reconciliations and other banking side responsibilities.
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Creating inclusive spaces beyond the public realm
Jen Sheel takes pride in what her team does… and it shows. When you meet Jen, one of the first things you see is her dedication to making UBC a place that invites and builds connections. She fiercely believes that…
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Josephine Shen joins the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) team as a Financial Analyst
In her new role, Josephine will play a key role in developing the Strategic Initiatives’ multi-year forecasting model and maintaining various financial models (i.e. Contingency and PAEI) at UBC.
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Celebrating UBC VPFO’s long-serving member inductees in 2022
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.
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Holly Shepherd promoted to Director, Treasury
Holly Shepherd has been promoted to Director, Treasury with overall responsibility for overseeing tax, contracts, leases & licences, housing loans, payment card industry compliance, service levy and Treasury Accounting.