Virginia Tech announces new CFO

Virginia Tech has hired Simon Allen as its chief financial officer and vice president for finance, the university announced Monday.

Allen is currently vice president for finance and CFO of the Ithaca campus of Cornell University. In his new role, which he’ll start May 6, Allen will report to Virginia Tech Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring. Ken Miller, who had served as Virginia Tech’s vice president for finance since 2020, announced his retirement in September 2023. He had worked for the university for 35 years.

Allen will support the teaching, research and outreach missions of Virginia Tech, become a member of the President’s Council and hold direct responsibility for oversight and management of the university’s key financial operations, including budget and financial planning, capital financing, financial reporting, treasury management, accounting, the university bursar, insurance, payroll, travel, procurement and tax, according to a news release.

“Throughout his career in both the private sector and in higher education, Simon has demonstrated his ability to bring stakeholders together to solve complex problems in ways that are mission-driven and people focused,” Sebring said in a statement. “Simon’s financial expertise and collaborative leadership style will enable Virginia Tech to continue elevating our financial services in support of the university’s strategic objectives and build upon Virginia Tech’s track record of strong financial management and positioning.”

Allen spent about 5 1/2 years at Cornell, where he oversaw an annual operating budget of about $6 billion, net assets of $14 billion, a debt portfolio of $1.9 billion and $1 billion in capital assets, while providing oversight support for Cornell’s three campuses in Ithaca, New York, and New York City. Before he worked for Cornell, Allen worked in finance, as U.S. managing editor of real estate private equity for European asset management firm Amundi Asset Management.

Allen earned his MBA with concentrations in finance and economics from the University of Warwick, in Coventry, United Kingdom, a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in urban estate management from the University of Westminster in London.