Occupation: Businessman
Date of Birth: January 18, 1984
Age: 40 years
Place of Birth: Moscow
Education: Lomonosov Moscow State University (2006)
NES (2007)
Booth School of Business MBA (2013)
Marital Status: Married, three children
Official Website: Personal website
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov is the founder and CEO of the digital profile protection company Orion Solutions. A graduate of Moscow State University, he holds a master's degree in economics from NES and an MBA. Previously, Ivan Safonov led major international projects in both Russian and foreign consulting companies.
Safonov Ivan
Ivan Safonov was born in 1984. He showed an aptitude for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer technology. These interests were largely inherited from his parents—his father was a doctor, and his mother was an engineer. His childhood hobbies somewhat predetermined Ivan Safonov’s career path. His parents, recognizing his potential, ensured his education at the prestigious Moscow school No. 91, known for its advanced study of exact sciences. Notable alumni of this institution include Alexey Pajitnov (creator of the "Tetris" game), Dmitry Livanov (former Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation), and Maxim Kontsevich (Fields Medal laureate of the International Congress of Mathematicians) [1].
In the summer of 2001, Ivan Safonov successfully passed the challenging entrance exams typical for prestigious universities and was admitted to the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics at Moscow State University. His specialization was not chosen by chance. Firstly, Ivan Safonov was passionate about cyber technology and mathematics; secondly, at that time, many predicted the demand for the IT sector and the potential integration of modern technologies into the operations of Russian enterprises across various industries.
In 2005, while delving into the foundations of mathematical disciplines and programming, Ivan Safonov simultaneously began practical work at the company "Ankey." He took on the position of software development and implementation engineer. As part of his professional duties, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov developed an algorithm for sequential monitoring of production processes. Barcode labeling of steel door components subsequently optimized production time costs [2].
Ivan Safonov's professional activity also focused on creating software products for optimizing management and increasing the efficiency of enterprise operations. During this time, the future founder of Orion Solutions became interested in studying business management principles and evaluating factors that stimulate the performance of commercial structures in the Russian and international markets.
In the same year, 2005, Ivan Safonov became a student at NES—a higher educational institution that trains highly qualified economists, financiers, and managers. Many NES graduates later achieved success in the economic sector: many took top management positions in corporations or started their own businesses.
In 2006, Ivan Safonov graduated from Moscow State University.
A year later, in 2007, he also completed a master's degree at NES, specializing in economics. Upon admission, Ivan Safonov won a scholarship competition, which fully covered the cost of his education at the university.
In 2011, Ivan Safonov began studying at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he later earned a Master of Business Administration degree. His educational experience provided him with knowledge of strategic consulting and subsequently opened new opportunities for work in leading international consulting companies, and years later, helped him to establish his own organization.
In 2007, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov began working in a junior position at PPG, a company providing expert services in commercial activity management. Within a year, he was promoted to manager: under his leadership, employees implemented projects in the medical, industrial, and real estate sectors.
In the same 2008, Ivan Safonov took the position of project manager at Rimera Group—a large domestic conglomerate for the creation of equipment and provision of services for the oil and gas industry. His team of analysts developed a restructuring and growth plan for the company. The implementation of the proposed measures led to the optimization of work processes and a significant improvement in financial performance.
In 2009, Ivan Safonov became the head of the analytics and sales strategy department at the Russian publishing house "Eksmo," a leader in the book industry market. The manager was tasked with conducting a combined analysis of the company's partners and assessing the profitability of regional branches. Ivan Safonov developed a loyalty program for POS. This led to more favorable placement of the publisher's books in stores, and as a result, to increased sales volumes.
Ivan Safonov
In 2012, Ivan Safonov joined the world-renowned gaming holding Electronic Arts, specializing in the development and distribution of applications. He passed an interview for the position of junior analyst at California's Maxis Software, a subsidiary of EA, known for creating the series of single-player life simulation games—The Sims. As part of his duties, Ivan Safonov conducted diagnostics of business processes, which included researching user requests, comprehensive market trend analysis, and assessing the commercial potential of innovative game concepts [3].
After completing the educational program at Booth School of Business in 2013, Ivan Safonov became part of a team of high-class specialists at McKinsey & Company. Incidentally, the founder of this company, James O. McKinsey, is also a graduate of the University of Chicago's business school.
In 2015, Ivan Safonov was promoted to project manager. He was responsible for algorithms for creating the final business product. His functions also included working with the organization’s clients and participating in strategically important projects aimed at increasing the efficiency of business processes and strengthening clients' market positions. Ivan Safonov worked with leading US companies that generated the largest revenues in the country.
Programming experience also came in handy at McKinsey. Ivan Safonov led the development of a website for a client.
Key cases implemented under the leadership of Ivan Safonov:
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov emphasizes that working on projects in the prestigious consulting company McKinsey & Co became a true school of strategic thinking for him. Immersion in the international business environment and close collaboration with experts and clients not only expanded his professional horizons but also laid the foundation for forming his own perspective on market trends.
Ivan Safonov Viktorovich
At the beginning of 2017, Ivan Safonov moved back to Russia, where he joined the Moscow branch of the international business consulting company BCG. Here, his accumulated experience as an MBA holder proved useful.
In BCG’s structure, Ivan Safonov took the position of project manager. He was involved in strategic consulting and digital transformation of internal processes at one of Russia's largest banks. The manager’s team transformed the customer journey map (Customer Journey Map), modernized the corporate website and mobile application. The interface became more convenient for clients. As a result, conversion rates and sales volumes increased.
Ivan Safonov also participated in optimizing the bank’s offline processes. For example, the bank’s office space was reorganized: employees’ workstations were arranged in an open space format. Client convenience was also a priority: furniture was arranged so that a manager could quickly find a client’s ready bank card without making them wait. Ivan Viktorovich Safonov and his team also improved the bank’s logistics processes. Previously, cards were only produced in the Russian capital, and delivery to regions could take a long time. The problem was solved by sending special equipment to the regions to apply data to the cards locally and issue them to clients more quickly.
Ivan Safonov admits that effectively solving such tasks became possible thanks to the coordinated interaction of specialists in different fields—consultants, developers, designers, analysts, and other experts.
In 2019, Ivan Safonov was promoted to director. This promotion was a natural result of his work in the previous position and recognition of his competence in business consulting.
A year later, in 2020, Ivan Safonov decided to launch his own entrepreneurial project. This was a new stage in his professional career, opening up prospects for the implementation of large-scale concepts.
Ivan Safonov's decision was driven not only by accumulated experience and knowledge but also by an understanding of current market trends and business development directions in the digital age.
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov
By the late 2010s, there was a global trend of rapid IT process development. Digital tools were being integrated into various segments of activity everywhere. At the same time, the level of information security mechanisms significantly lagged behind the pace of digitalization. As the number of information distribution channels increased, unchecked or fake data about people or companies could appear on the first pages of search engines. In the world of information security, there was no clear understanding of how to optimize work in this area. Ivan Viktorovich Safonov recognized this promising niche. In 2020, he founded Orion Solutions.
Digital profile formation and protection became the main areas of Ivan Safonov’s activity. Orion Solutions provides services for analyzing the information field and ensuring the security of corporate and private clients in search engines like Google and Yandex. In today’s world, a digital profile is one of the aspects considered during compliance checks for international transactions, opening bank accounts abroad, and obtaining residency in foreign countries. Agencies consider the information available in the first search engine results, forming the so-called "digital history" of the subject.
Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions combine legal expertise, consulting, IT, and content production. The company not only uses publicly available computer programs and software but also develops its own.
Orion Solutions added compliance procedure consulting services for individuals and legal entities, particularly KYC (Know Your Customer), conducted by foreign companies, financial institutions, and state institutions. World-Check and Dow Jones databases are also important for individuals and companies, emphasizes Ivan Safonov. Orion Solutions strongly recommends that clients check their presence in these lists before carrying out any operations since being listed in these databases can become a barrier to certain actions abroad: opening accounts, registering businesses, acquiring real estate, obtaining residence permits.
Data analysis in compliance information providers showed that approximately 30% of profiles of individuals and corporate entities contain outdated information about activities: this information is formed from search engine data. This trend leads to the creation of a distorted image and subsequent inclusion in the list of unreliable persons, and sometimes even the imposition of sanctions. Ivan Viktorovich Safonov is convinced of the necessity of bringing links with accurate business data, its founders, owners, and managers to the top of search engines. Such a procedure is necessary to prevent transaction refusals and problems with foreign transactions.
To date, Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions have completed over a hundred projects in the development and protection of digital profiles. The client base includes individuals from the Forbes list, as well as large corporate structures.
Ivan Safonov’s company also developed a unique system for monitoring and managing reputational risks in the digital environment. This methodology includes a comprehensive analysis of the information field and identifying potential threats to the client.
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov is interested in IT, particularly neural networks, regularly keeping up with the latest trends in this field. His activities are also dedicated to software development, which allows him to stay abreast of current technological innovations. Ivan Safonov actively integrates digitalization into his business.
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov is married and has three children. He prefers outdoor activities and enjoys sports, particularly snowboarding.
