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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UBC Investment Management releases 2022-23 Performance Results
UBC Investment Management is pleased to release FY22-23 performance highlights on behalf of the funds the firm manages: the UBC Main Endowment Pool and the UBC Staff Pension Plan (SPP). All results as of March 31, 2023.
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Read the 2023 Endowment update
Every year, the university provides a summary report for each endowed fund to the designated donor contact. The 2023 University of British Columbia (UBC) Endowment Summary Report is now available on The University Endowment page, or on the give UBC…
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Celebrating the successful delivery of Workday Adaptive training
Last week, the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) and the Workday Adaptive Project team celebrated the successful delivery of the Workday Adaptive training series with a graduation celebration with virtual certificates, sparkling juice — and of course, no celebration would…
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Our purpose shapes us
Over the last 3 months, I’ve met with teams from across the VPFO, most recently with our new VPFO Project Management Team. Through these conversations one thing is always abundantly clear: what we do in the VPFO matters — deeply…
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Leveraging Smartsheet for project planning and tracking
VPFO Project Management Office uses Smartsheet, a modern project and work management tool, to manage project plans, track deliverables and report on key project milestones. Safety and Risk Services (SRS) within the VPFO has also recently embraced these tools to…
People of the VPFO
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François Desmarais promoted to Senior Facilities Manager in Building Operations
François is the successful candidate to take on this newly created role with all of the Building Operations’ Facilities Managers reporting directly to him. François will continue to be responsible for the Brown Zone and also manage the day to…
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Announcing a new Associate Vice-President role for the VPFO
Following approval from UBC’s Board of Governors,the VPFO will be adding a new Associate Vice-President. Trish Pekeles has agreed to step forward as acting in the new AVP role until the search committee completes their work.
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Bryan Antenor and Marcos Kwong join Financial Operations management team
The Financial Operations team is pleased to welcome Bryan Antenor as the department’s new Customer Support Manager, and Marcos Kwong as the Manager of Procurement Services.
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Get to know: Ryan Huffman, Senior Project Manager with Project Services, Infrastructure Development
Ryan came to UBC because he used to get bored easily. Almost 7 years later, he’s discovered a job that brings him constant innovation, excitement, and the opportunity to bring his unique brand of positivity to his many UBC friends…
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Doug Cheung joins Treasury team in the position of Director, Treasury
Doug will be overseeing cash management together with the strategic long-term modelling and will also be involved in strategic initiatives such as the GBE (Government Business Entity) project with Student Housing and Hospitality Services.