Ivan Viktorovich Safonov is an entrepreneur and expert in digital profile building who founded the innovative company Orion Solutions. It combines advanced technological solutions and international experience in strategic consulting. A graduate of the world’s leading business schools, he worked his way up from a software developer to the head of large-scale projects in major consulting organizations.
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Date of birth: | January 18, 1984 |
| Age | 40 years old |
| Place of birth | Moscow |
| Education | Lomonosov Moscow State University (2006), New Economic School (2007), University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA (2013) |
| Marital status | Married, three children |
Educational track
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov was born in 1984 in Moscow. His passion for mathematics and computer technologies led him to study at one of the capital’s prestigious general education institutions, which specializes in the advanced study of exact sciences.
In 2001, Ivan Safonov successfully passed the entrance exams to the oldest Russian university – Lomonosov Moscow State University. He entered the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics, founded by Academician Andrei Nikolaevich Tikhonov and traditionally considered one of the strongest centers for training specialists in applied mathematics and computer science. Among its professors and graduates are the creators of the first Soviet computers, developers of spacecraft control systems, and leading specialists in the field of artificial intelligence. Today’s VMK students demonstrate their robotics skills in various specialized competitions, such as hackathons.
At the university, Ivan Safonov actively participated in scientific projects and research. Here, his special approach to solving complex problems – combining technical skills with a vision of practical application – began to take shape.
Engineering
In 2004, while still a student, Ivan Safonov started working as a software development and implementation engineer. While working on a project to automate production processes for Ankey, he immersed himself in real business tasks for the first time. “It was a turning point when it became clear – the future lies in the synthesis of technology and business,” recalls Ivan Safonov. Practical acquaintance with enterprise management principles led to the decision to get an economic education.
In 2006, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov completed his studies in applied mathematics and a year later received a Master’s degree in economics from the New Economic School. It is worth noting that he got there after winning a competition for a full scholarship upon enrollment.
In 2011, having already had experience in consulting, Ivan Safonov traveled to the USA to study at one of the world’s leading business schools. “I needed international experience, an opportunity to see how the best management approaches work,” he explains his decision. The MBA degree that Ivan Safonov received in 2013 gave him new knowledge and an understanding of global business processes.
In his professional activities, Ivan Safonov adheres to the principle of combining different competencies: consulting experience, technical skills, and the ability to work with data. This approach, formed during his years of study at leading universities in Russia and the USA, formed the basis for his future career.
Ivan Safonov: the path to understanding business
Ivan Safonov start of career
Safonov started his career in 2004, when companies were just discovering the benefits of digital automation, and qualified specialists in this field could be counted on fingers. Creating a production accounting system in the form of barcodes on steel doors for a small private enterprise was his first step in the real sector of the economy.
In 2007, when Western business practices were being actively introduced in Russia, Ivan Safonov joined PPG (Princeton Partners Group). Over the course of a year, he rose from analyst to head of a project team, implementing tasks in metallurgy, medicine, and real estate.
In 2008, when the global financial crisis was testing businesses to the limit, Ivan Safonov joined the strategic department of Rimera Group. During this difficult period for the industry, his team developed new approaches to improving the efficiency of the oilfield services business.
Serious trials marked the year 2009 for the Russian book industry. Many companies could not withstand the pressure of larger and more stable market players. During that period, Ivan Safonov, head of the analytics and sales strategy department at Exmo, began to restructure the traditional distribution model. His team’s decisions—from developing performance indicators for certain processes to introducing loyalty programs—were dictated by the trend towards digitalization, emphasizes Ivan Safonov.
In 2010-2011, during the post-crisis recovery period, Ivan Safonov took a position as a senior consultant in the Moscow office of Monitor Group, a top-five global consulting company. Here, he led a major production reorganization project for one of the mining industry enterprises.
Other significant areas of Ivan Safonov’s work during this period include:
- Developing a strategy for the bank, in particular, forecasting industry development scenarios and identifying priority areas for investments
- Creating a post-merger integration strategy for a large telecommunications operator
- Developing an asset optimization program for a leading media holding company
- A comprehensive study of the growth potential of one of the country’s regions
These years coincided with fundamental changes in the Russian economy: business gradually shifted from extensive growth (by mechanically increasing production volumes) to intensive growth (by increasing labor productivity). Digitalization was becoming one of the main tools in this process, penetrating all sectors. Modern management standards were also being formed. The experience gained in various sectors of the economy determined Ivan Safonov’s future path in domestic and international strategic consulting.
International stage
In 2012, while still studying at the University of Chicago Business School, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov gained unique experience in the gaming industry. At that time, companies were actively researching user behavior and looking for new approaches to promoting digital products. As an intern in the business analytics department, Ivan Safonov assessed user traffic and developed recommendations to increase pre-orders of new game projects in the Maxis label (EA) team.
After receiving a diploma from the Booth School in 2013, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov decided to supplement his international education with relevant practical experience. So began his new professional stage in the American city of Cleveland, where he became part of the McKinsey & Company team for four years—a consulting company known as a launching pad for the heads of the world’s largest corporations or a “forge of personnel” for top management.
During his time there, Ivan Safonov was directly involved in:
- Developing a development strategy for the regional health system
- Creating a digital platform for monitoring physicians’ work
- developing a cost optimization system for insurance companies
- introducing a new pricing model for chemical producers
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov’s Leadership
Under the leadership of Ivan Safonov, comprehensive programs were implemented to optimize business processes in the healthcare sector. The key achievement was creating a digital platform that united several hundred specialists and significantly improved the quality of medical services.
Working with national insurance companies, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov led projects implementing advanced cost control techniques and creating systems to prevent fund misuse. Special attention was paid to optimizing IT infrastructure and developing new analytical tools.
In the industrial sector, Ivan Safonov successfully implemented a project to create an adaptive pricing system for a manufacturer, which allowed the company to operate effectively in unstable local markets.
During his time at McKinsey & Company, Ivan Safonov rose from an entry-level position to a project manager. This period was his career advancement and an immersion in the international business environment. Working with leaders of various industries, interacting with high-level professionals, and learning advanced management techniques have formed a unique experience, says Ivan Safonov. The businessman also repeatedly emphasized that understanding how teams with different professional and cultural backgrounds can achieve outstanding results in solving complex business problems was particularly valuable.
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov: returning to Russia, working at BCG
In 2017, a new stage in Ivan Safonov’s career began in the Moscow office of Boston Consulting Group. By this time, the Russian market had reached an important milestone – large companies realized the need for fundamental changes in working with clients and the digitalization of business processes.
Under Ivan Safonov’s leadership, the flagship project was a large-scale transformation program in one of the country’s backbone banks. The focus was on the entire chain of interaction with the client—from the first acquaintance with services to long-term cooperation.
Under the leadership of Ivan Safonov, a team of experts from various fields was created. The synergy of consulting experience and technical expertise made it possible to implement innovative solutions in the banking sector, where the development of digital services was becoming a priority to ensure the most convenient and personalized service.
The team implemented a set of initiatives:
- renewal of digital communication channels
- reformatting of office space
- Improvement of the banking products delivery system
- development of modern service standards
Special attention was paid to the bank’s regional development. On the initiative of Ivan Viktorovich Safonov, the philosophy of working with branches was revised: instead of the usual centralization of processes in the capital, the focus shifted to improving local infrastructure.
During the active development of financial technologies in Russia, the expert also focused on optimizing the customer journey (Customer Journey Map). At that time, financial organizations were actively competing for service consumers, and service quality became a key success factor, recalls Ivan Safonov.
By the end of the 2010s, Ivan Safonov’s successful implementation of complex projects and other achievements contributed to his appointment as a director.
Building Orion Solutions: responding to digital threats
By the early 2020s, the world faced an unprecedented acceleration of digital transformation, exposing serious gaps in information security. Digitalization has significantly outpaced the development of data protection systems. The massive penetration of modern technologies into all aspects of business has created new challenges for cybersecurity professionals.
The rapid evolution of digital communication platforms – from corporate email to social media – has dramatically changed the nature of information dissemination. This trend has led to a significant increase in the amount of inaccurate and outdated content about companies and individuals in search engines.
The information security industry must develop effective methodologies for managing emerging risks and creating mechanisms for prompt response to modern threats in the online space.
In 2020, Ivan Safonov, having analyzed the scale of the problem, founded his own company.
Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions have identified a key feature of today’s information space: data once in the network cannot be completely deleted or controlled. Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions’ analysis of compliance audit procedures identified the following problem: a significant part of the information in professional databases does not correspond to reality. Nevertheless, according to Ivan Safonov, the complete absence of up-to-date information in search engines is no less of a threat to business than the presence of outdated or inaccurate history. This is at a time when the success of international operations increasingly depends on the digital image, emphasizing Safonov Ivan.
Under these circumstances, the company developed its approach to search engine presence. Experience in strategy, consulting, and programming allowed Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions to offer clients modern mechanisms for protecting a person’s or company’s digital profile.
To date, Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions have realized more than a hundred projects. Representatives of the Forbes list and large corporate structures use the company’s services.
Ivan Safonov: technological expertise and vision of the future
These days, the development of artificial intelligence has given a new dimension to information security issues. According to Ivan Viktorovich Safonov, the evolution of AI will take place through the solution of specific tasks, with the technology inevitably facing the need for regulation.
Ivan Safonov spends considerable time studying advances in neural networks and implementing promising solutions into business practice. His experience, from creating software to building information protection systems, allows him to assess emerging threats comprehensively.
Analyzing the current situation, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov notes the need to form a digital profile in advance. His practice shows that the activities of a modern manager or entrepreneur are inevitably reflected in the Internet space. According to Ivan Safonov, in such conditions, the priority is not to fight against information but to create a credible story on the Web.
Based on his cooperation with large companies, Ivan Safonov highlights the main trend of the future – the growing importance of information security. Organizations that do not pay due attention to this area may face obstacles in international activities.
