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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Business Expense Rules will go live on April 1, 2022
The new Business Expense Rules have now been approved and will be available to the UBC community on April 1, 2022 on the UBC Finance website. In the meantime, you are welcome to review the Business Expense Rules document in…
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Energy conservation measures implemented in I.K. Barber Learning Centre
An energy conservation project was implemented to repair the heat pipe system in the main air handling units (AHUs) to improve thermal energy in the building. Upon completion, the building’s thermal energy demand has been reduced by ~22%, saving ~$11,000…
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Heat recovery chiller expansion in the Life Sciences Centre
In 2021, a third chiller module was added to an existing two-module heat recovery chiller to maximize more recoverable heat in the building. This additional chiller module will recover 5800 GJ of heat per year, equivalent to reducing thermal consumption…
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A Walk Through Time
Construction work along the sidewalks on the south and south-east side of the Earth Sciences Building has started, as part of an exhibit extension of the Pacific Museum of Earth. The museum will be installing a ribbon of steel plates…
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Four newly funded projects aimed at boosting sustainability at UBC Vancouver
Four new Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) sustainability projects have just been awarded a share of $200,000 in funding, and will be set in motion this year on the UBC Vancouver campus. All these projects show ways to improve…
People of the VPFO
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Ernesto Castano joins UBC’s Financial Operations group as the Associate Director, Procurement
Ernesto will play a vital role in leading the Procurement function to support our community in meeting their needs through the procurement and competitive bidding processes, leveraging Workday and Planon.
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Joan Mar and Entela Ifti step into new positions in the Financial Planning & Analysis team
In their new roles, Joan and Entela will work with the Assistant Comptroller to lead the FP&A team and support our partners across the university. Joan Mar will be joining as Director, Financial Planning & Analysis on June 16, and…
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Susan Johnson steps into her new role as Senior Manager, Privacy and Information Security Risk
In her new role, Susan will continue to oversee the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) process, including major projects such as the Integrated Security Program Student (IRPS) as well as the portfolio of operational PIAs and advisory services.
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Norman Kotze joins the Emergency Management team as Associate, Emergency & Continuity Planning
In his new role, Norman will help lead continuity planning for the Vancouver Point Grey campus. Working with academic units, he will assist in the roll-out of our Continuity Planning Framework and the creation of Continuity Plans for faculties using a…
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Christine Lin joins UBC as Tax Analyst
We are pleased to welcome Christine Lin as Tax Analyst, reporting to Holly Shepherd, Tax Manager effective May 16, 2022. Christine is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with extensive experience in corporate and indirect tax within the oil and gas…