Frank Laezza

Vice-President, Finance & Operations

Frank Laezza is the Vice-President, Finance & Operations, for the University of British Columbia. He is responsible for leading the VPFO team of over 1400 individuals in the core financial, facilities, safety, risk and assurance functions of the university across both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

Reporting directly to the President and Vice-Chancellor, Frank serves as a key member of UBC’s executive leadership team. He represents the VPFO in working with diverse constituencies across the university, as well as with external partners, to support and amplify UBC’s academic mission through the stewardship and continuous improvement of the university’s physical and financial assets.

As part of his role, he serves as a member of the board and oversees the university’s relationships with both UBC Investment Management, which manages the university’s endowment and staff pension plan, and UBC Properties Trust, which develops and manages real estate assets for the long-term benefit of the university community.

Frank is a strong believer in connected leadership, bringing a focus to collaboration and honest, two-way dialogue that enables him to build meaningful and productive relationships within his team as well as with external partners. He began his career with UBC in March 2023 after serving in leadership roles at a suite of Australia’s post-secondary institutions, including Murdoch University, Technical and Further Education State Vocational College (NSW), the University of Technology in Sydney, and the University of New South Wales. He holds a degree in Business/Commerce from the University of Technology Sydney, and an MBA from the University of Wollongong.

Contact information

Finance Leadership Office
Koerner Library 6th Floor
1958 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z2

Email: Frank.Laezza@ubc.ca

Leadership vision

“I am committed, through my mentorship, collaboration and open communication, to fostering a culture of purpose-driven leadership within the VPFO. Together, we will create an inclusive environment where each team member’s unique strengths contribute to our collective success, encourage personal growth, innovative thinking and a dedication to excellence and innovation.”

Frank Laezza
Vice-President Finance & Operations

Updates from the VP

  • Okanagan wildfires

    The past weeks have been difficult, as many of us watched the wildfire situation developing in the Okanagan and especially around our campus near Kelowna. I want to acknowledge our UBC Okanagan leadership and campus operations teams for pivoting and…

    Read more: Okanagan wildfires
  • Connected Leadership: Online and across our campuses

    I genuinely believe in the power that people and relationships have to move organizations forward and that the best working relationships are founded upon meaningful personal connections. One way I hope we as individuals can improve our connections is by better…

    Read more: Connected Leadership: Online and across our campuses
  • 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…

    Read more: Our purpose shapes us