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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Realigning Operational Excellence to Support Key Initiatives for the VPFO and UBC
The VPFO Senior Leadership Team has been working together to review, simplify, and prioritize the projects in our portfolio’s Strategic Plan. To enable key projects for the VPFO and UBC, we’re realigning some of our key resources.
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Diving into biodiversity and sustainability: Environmental education and cultural exchange at St’a7mes School
This initiative brings together individuals from various backgrounds and communities, including Elders, settlers, and Indigenous communities; and aims to foster cultural exchange, a deeper understanding of biodiversity and sustainable practices, as well as an enhanced collective responsibility for the environment.
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Upcoming road closures on UBC Vancouver campus as of June 19, 2023
Find more information about upcoming road closures around the UBC Vancouver campus as of June 19, 2023. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
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Are you setting up your international supplier correctly?
In order to ensure smooth processing of supplier invoices and purchase orders, please ensure international supplier setup and change requests are completed well in advance. Here are a few reminders from our Customer Support team in UBC Financial Operations.
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Helen Yung — Get to Know UBC’s New Comptroller
Fresh onto campus, we’ve taken the opportunity to ask Helen more about herself, her views on leadership, and what excites her about working with the VPFO and UBC.
People of the VPFO
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Rebecca Way joins UBCO Financial Operations as Procurement Manager
In her new role, Rebecca will be responsible for leading the local procurement team in the delivery of procurement services to the Okanagan campus, as well as actively engaging the campus community to increase understanding of procurement policies and workflows,…
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Lori Takenaka promoted to Safety Advisor, Facilities in Safety & Risk Services
In her new role as Safety Advisor, Facilities, Lori will lead a team of health and safety specialists and will continue to support UBC Facilities in the development and implementation of their health and safety programs.
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Teela Narsih promoted to Advisor, Safety Program Management & Systems in Safety & Risk Services
Teela began her career at UBC in 2015 where she has been an Occupational and Research Safety Associate with a focus on the development and implementation of the university’s safety program. Over the last 6 years, she has been instrumental…
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David Rowswell joins Facilities Information and Inventory Systems as Programmer Analyst in Infrastructure Development
David has worked in multiple roles at UBC. He is joining us on secondment from ITSC (Service Center) where he worked as part of our IT support team. After graduating from UBC with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in…
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Florante Navarro promoted to Sub-Head, Stores in Municipals Services
Florante brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help him transition into his new role as a Sub-Head and contribute to the team in a leadership capacity. He has worked with the Stores team for the past 3…