Announcing Finance and Operations changes

The following update  outlines several significant changes in the AVP Finance and Operations  portfolio on the Okanagan campus, involving Finance, Risk Management Services,  Campus Security, and the creation of a new department overseeing all ancillary business units on  campus.

Two new Finance directors

Last summer I announced a major restructuring of finance  operations on the Okanagan campus. The resulting changes led to the creation  of:

  1. The Budget and Strategic Decision Support team  responsible for the overall campus budget, 10-year financial outlook and high-level financial and operational support for the campus executive
  2. The integrated and distributed model with a team  of Finance Managers embedded within the faculties and administrative  departments they support that is connected to a central Finance organization.
  3. The Payment and Procurement Services team  responsible for the transactional elements of Accounts Payable, Payroll and Purchasing

In reviewing the delivery of Finance services over the past  year, it has become apparent that there are two distinct leadership roles that  require dedicated Directors: Finance Strategies (item 1 above) and Finance  Operations (items 2 and 3 above).

As a result, I am pleased to announce the  appointment of Curtis Morcom as Director, Finance Strategies, and Carri Lawrence  as Director, Finance Operations.

Both Curtis and Carri emerged as the clear  winners of a highly competitive search process and I would like to thank them  for serving in interim leadership roles during the reorganization of the  Finance department.

Business Operations

Changes in the Student Services portfolio, announced yesterday, include the move of the  following ancillary services to the Finance and Operations portfolio:

  • Student Housing
  • Conferences and Accommodations
  • Food Services

This created an opportunity to reassess how the Finance and  Operations portfolio is structured, and that has driven a variety of changes.  These include creation  of a new Business Operations team and merging of Risk  Management Services and Security to become one unit.

I am pleased to announce that Shannon Dunn has been appointed Director,  Business Operations. Since mid-2013, Shannon has been seconded to serve as  Director, Capital Planning, and was formerly Director, Student Housing and  Hospitality Services. In her new role, she will oversee all ancillary services (student  housing, conferences and accommodations, food services, parking and the  Bookstore) on the Okanagan campus.

In recognition of the significant role of  student housing, Conferences and Accommodations, and  Food Service operations, Shannon will have a  dual report to Andrew Parr, Managing Director of Student Housing and  Hospitality Services in Vancouver, as well as to myself.

View Finance and Operations organizational chart

In addition to the reporting  structure outlined above, a strategic governance committee will be established  to provide overall direction for the Business Operations team. Recognizing  the commitment to the student experience on the Okanagan campus and the  operational responsibility of the Bookstore from the Vancouver campus, the committee  will consist of:

  • Shannon Dunn, Director, Business Operations
  • Michael Shakespeare, AVP, Finance and Operations
  • Andrew Parr, Managing Director, Student Housing and Hospitality Services
  • Ian Cull, AVP Students
  • Debbie Harvie, Managing Director, University Community Services

Risk  Management Services and Security become one unit

Campus Security is being merged with Risk Management Services (formerly  Health, Safety and Environment) with a new Associate Director position being created  to manage all security and risk management services on the Okanagan campus.  This position will report to Shelley Kayfish, Director, Campus Operations and  Risk Management.

As a result of the changes to the Parking and Security portfolios, the position  of Associate Director, Parking and Security, currently held by Garry Appleton,  has been eliminated. I’d like to thank Garry for his years of service developing  an outstanding and efficient system of parking and security services for the  Okanagan campus and wish him well in his future endeavours.

I am confident the changes announced today will provide new leadership  focus and organizational alignment to deliver highly-effective services that best  meet the needs of today’s students, faculty, staff, and UBC as a whole. Please join  me in congratulating Curtis, Carri and Shannon on their new positions.

Sincerely,

Michael Shakespeare

Associate Vice-President, Finance and Operations

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