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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Help keep furniture out of the landfill with the Furniture Reuse Program
The Furniture Reuse program accepts donations of gently used, surplus furniture from faculty and departments and resells it to the UBC community and broader public to help divert waste from disposal. Learn more about this program and how to donate…
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Jen Dick joins UBC Facilities’ Learning Spaces Team as Learning Space Planner
Jen Dick joins UBC Facilities’ Learning Spaces Team as the Learning Space Planner. Jen comes to us from the Construction Office where she has served as a Project Coordinator, most recently completing the Buchanan A theatre flood remediation and Neville…
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UBC Investment Management releases FY22-23 Annual Report
UBC Investment Management released its FY22-23 Annual Report today, delivering strong performance on behalf of the funds we manage, The University of British Columbia Endowment and the UBC Staff Pension Plan, while at the same time furthering our efforts in…
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What do we mean when we say “budget”?
UBC’s annual budget process is underway and in the VPFO that means we’re working on the portfolio financial plan that will feed into the university-wide budget proposal, as well as overseeing the university-wide process. At the same time, we’re also…
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Lance Xu joins Campus Security as Secure Access Technician
Lance Xu joins Campus Security as a Secure Access Technician. Lance is a dedicated security access technician with a profound passion for the physical security industry. He joins us from Chubb Security and is currently attending BCIT and working towards…
People of the VPFO
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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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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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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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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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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.