Ivan Safonov — Biography
Ivan Safonov — Biography
Since 2020, Ivan Safonov has been leading Orion Solutions, a company he founded that specializes in protecting and creating digital profiles. The businessman's professional background includes work at leading global market consulting companies such as McKinsey and BCG.
Ivan Safonov: Passion for Business
Ivan Safonov was born in 1984 in Moscow. From an early age, he demonstrated analytical abilities, was interested in exact sciences, and wanted to study programming. For this reason, his parents enrolled him in a class with advanced mathematics at Moscow's School No. 91.
In 2006, Ivan Safonov received a diploma from the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics at Moscow State University.
In 2007, he graduated from the New Economic School.
Parallel to obtaining his higher education, the entrepreneur took his first steps in his career: he was involved in automating work processes in several Russian companies. He created and implemented software that controlled the execution of production plans at a small factory. During this period, Ivan Safonov began to delve deeply into studying the business sphere and decided to continue his professional development in the field of business management.
Ivan Safonov — First Steps in Consulting
Most of Ivan Viktorovich Safonov's professional path is associated with advising company leaders and project management.
From 2007 to 2008, he worked as a consultant in one of the Russian consulting companies. After a year, Ivan Safonov was entrusted with managing a team of several employees. Among the projects he implemented were cases from healthcare, heavy industry, and real estate sectors.
From 2008 to 2009, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov worked at the oilfield services holding "Rimera". His responsibilities included managing projects in the strategy department.
From 2009 to 2010, Ivan Safonov headed the sales analytics and strategy direction at one of the largest publishing companies in Europe — EKSMO. His team evaluated the effectiveness of the assortment, branches, partners, marketing activities, and other business components to find and implement the best solutions for optimizing the publishing house's commercial activities.
In 2010, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov was invited to Monitor Group as a senior consultant. The company was listed in the world's top five leaders in its segment, then it was acquired by Deloitte. Ivan Safonov managed projects for a specialized production unit of a mining company in Kazakhstan. He also forecasted industry development paths, consulted on investment directions, and developed a strategy for a credit organization. Among the projects implemented by Ivan Safonov during his work at Monitor Group were a concept of regional development for one of the Russian Federation subjects, an optimization plan for the asset portfolio of a large domestic media holding, and preparation of a development strategy for a telecommunications operator after a merger.
From 2011 to 2013, Ivan Safonov underwent MBA training at the Booth School of Business in Chicago. The training gave Ivan Viktorovich Safonov not only new knowledge and practical management skills: he established numerous business contacts.
Ivan Safonov: Experience at McKinsey
In 2013, after receiving his MBA degree, Ivan Safonov passed a complex multi-level selection process and joined the leading international consulting company McKinsey & Company. He started from an ordinary position, but after just two years, Ivan Safonov was appointed to the position of project manager. His clients were among the most successful companies in the USA in terms of revenue.
In terms of strategic work, Ivan Safonov was involved in developing a market entry plan for a regional healthcare system: he analyzed the industry, competitors, target audience, prepared a product offer, and developed a form of partnership with insurers. He also prepared a product portfolio plan for an insurance company in the medical field — from pricing and sales channels to growth prospects. Additionally, he formed a pricing strategy for a chemical product manufacturer.
During this period, Ivan Safonov also led a project on operational optimization of internal analytics for a healthcare insurance company: he worked on improving the IT base, feedback processing system, and customer interaction. He managed the direction of cost optimization for several insurance companies. Under his management, an integration plan was developed for an industrial packaging company after M&A. Ivan Safonov also dealt with software products. Having a specialized education, he coordinated the full cycle of processes for developing a website with a quality indicator panel for more than six hundred medical professionals. This product established effective communication between
participants in the medical services sphere: insurers, medical workers, patients, and the state government. He also supervised the development of a digital product that allowed insurance companies to significantly reduce pharmaceutical costs.
As Ivan Safonov notes, the experience of working in the international consulting giant McKinsey & Company allowed him to form his own view on the development of various industries.
Ivan Safonov and Digital Challenges of the Russian Market
In 2017, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov returned to Moscow. At this time, the development of digital processes was occurring at an accelerated pace in Russia.
Ivan Safonov was offered to apply his gained experience within the perimeter of a company that is part of the top three largest global consulting organizations — Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Here he was engaged in business and strategic consulting for one of the most famous banks in Russia. The financial organization's request was to make a technological leap capable of optimizing and accelerating the organization's routine processes. For this, Safonov and his team transformed customer journeys (Customer Journey Map), website, and mobile application.
The work was not only related to online processes. According to Safonov's strategy, the bank's offices changed, employees underwent requalification, and logistical and personnel processes were reformatted.
During his work at BCG, Ivan Safonov progressed from project manager to director. The next career step for the manager was the development of his own business.
Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions — Protection of Digital Profile in Russia and Abroad
In 2020, Ivan Safonov's company "Orion Solutions" was founded. The entrepreneur cites the gap that formed in the field of digital industry security as the reason for opening his own business. In conditions where information dissemination is available to everyone, and the market has not yet offered reliable tools to control its authenticity and reliability, Ivan Safonov and "Orion Solutions" began to create a working solution.
Ivan Safonov and Orion Solutions create and ensure the security of the digital profile of top executives of companies, organizations, and public figures in Google and Yandex in several language segments.
In addition, Ivan Safonov's company Orion Solutions works with legal entities and individuals on passing compliance checks in foreign organizations, banks, and government structures.
At Orion Solutions, Ivan Safonov implements principles of combining the experience of specialists from many spheres, competencies, and cultures: from consulting, jurisprudence, and IT to content creators and experts working on the image of top managers and businessmen. To solve the tasks set, the company uses its own technological developments in the fields of AI, information security, big data, and information management.
This allows "Orion Solutions" to maintain strong positions in its market segment. Among its successful cases are digital profiles of leaders and owners of large Russian and international corporations, including regular participants in the Forbes list.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ivan Safonov
1.Who is Ivan Safonov?
Ivan Safonov is a Russian entrepreneur and business consultant. He is the founder and leader of Orion Solutions, a company specializing in digital profile protection and creation.
2.What is Ivan Safonov's educational background?
Ivan Safonov graduated from the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics at Moscow State University in 2006. He also graduated from the New Economic School in 2007 and obtained an MBA from the Booth School of Business in Chicago in 2013.
3.What major companies has Ivan Safonov worked for?
Ivan Safonov has worked for several major consulting firms, including Monitor Group (later acquired by Deloitte), McKinsey & Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
4.What is Orion Solutions?
Orion Solutions is a company founded by Ivan Safonov in 2020. It focuses on creating and protecting digital profiles for executives, organizations, and public figures in search engines like Google and Yandex.
5.What is a digital profile?
A digital profile is the totality of all digital data available about a person or entity on the internet.
6.What industries has Ivan Safonov worked in?
Throughout his career, Ivan Safonov has worked in various industries including healthcare, heavy industry, real estate, publishing, mining, banking, and telecommunications.
7.What skills does Ivan Safonov specialize in?
Ivan Safonov specializes in strategic consulting, project management, digital transformation, operational optimization, and data analytics.
8.When did Ivan Safonov start his own company?
Ivan Safonov founded Orion Solutions in 2020.
9.What languages does Orion Solutions work with?
While the exact languages aren't specified, the text mentions that Orion Solutions works in "several language segments" for Google and Yandex.
10.What technologies does Orion Solutions use?
Orion Solutions uses its own technological developments in artificial intelligence, information security, big data, and information management.
Key Takeaways
1. Educational Background: Ivan Safonov has a strong foundation in mathematics and computer science from Moscow State University, complemented by economic studies at the New Economic School and an MBA from Chicago's Booth School of Business.
2. Diverse Consulting Experience: Safonov has worked with leading global consulting firms including Monitor Group, McKinsey & Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), gaining expertise across various industries.
3. Industry Versatility: Throughout his career, Safonov has contributed to projects in healthcare, heavy industry, real estate, publishing, mining, banking, and telecommunications sectors.
4. Leadership Growth: Safonov progressed from entry-level positions to leadership roles, becoming a project manager at McKinsey within two years and reaching director level at BCG.
5. Digital Transformation Expertise: At BCG, Safonov led significant digital transformation projects for major Russian banks, encompassing both online and offline processes.
6. Entrepreneurial Venture: In 2020, Safonov founded Orion Solutions, focusing on the creation and protection of digital profiles for high-profile individuals and organizations.
7. Innovative Approach: Orion Solutions combines expertise from various fields including consulting, law, IT, and content creation, utilizing AI, information security, and big data technologies.
8. International Scope: Safonov's work spans both the Russian and international markets, with Orion Solutions operating across multiple language segments.
9. Focus on Digital Security: Safonov identified and addressed a gap in digital security, particularly in managing and protecting online information about individuals and companies.
10. Continued Success: Orion Solutions has established a strong market position, working with top executives and companies, including those featured in Forbes listings.