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.
Frank’s 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
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 using our collaboration tools; another way I’m looking to build connections in our portfolio is by reaching out 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 — to the success of UBC.
Hello from my first 80 days
Each month I’d like to share a message with the portfolio, and today I want to start off by saying thank you to everyone who joined us last Wednesday at our “We are the VPFO” team event on the Vancouver campus.
We are the VPFO: Join us on May 31
The VPFO is a team, our work is connected, and we achieve great things for UBC by working together. On May 31 we have an opportunity to gather and hear from our new Vice-President Frank Laezza, as well as to connect with each other and to participate in a teambuilding activity.
Thank you for your warm welcome from our new VP, Frank Laezza
Time is flying, it’s hard to believe a month has passed already since I joined the portfolio. I’m so impressed with the work I’m seeing across the team — most recently with our finance folks in finalizing UBC’s 2023/24 budget. My thanks to everyone for their hard work!