Ivan Safonov, Orion Solutions CEO, founded the company to specialize in protecting the digital profiles of individuals and organizations. The executive spent years working in consulting (McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group), interacting with representatives from various industries, professions, and cultures. He studied at New Economic School and later received his business education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He uses his diverse experience to grow the company he founded, Orion Solutions.
Safonov Ivan: Software and Business
Ivan Safonov (Orion Solutions founder and head) was born on January 18, 1984, in Moscow
From 2001 to 2006, Ivan Safonov studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University. He entered the Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics Department, where competition for admission was traditionally high. He earned his degree in Applied Mathematics and Informatics, with the qualification of “mathematician, systems programmer.”
Ivan Safonov began working in his field during his fourth year of studies. He implemented various automation programs at small enterprises. Additionally, he developed software for monitoring production plan execution at a small factory. This is how he first became acquainted with business processes, and Safonov Ivan decided to study them further, enrolling in the New Economic School. He earned his Master of Economics there in 2007.
Career in Consulting
For an extended period, Ivan Safonov developed his career in the consulting sphere. The digitalization of various spheres and processes was already a global trend, and he encountered it in different companies and in every project.
2007-2009
In 2007, Ivan Safonov became an employee of a consulting company. He started in an entry-level position, but within a year was coordinating a team of several employees. Project areas included:
- healthcare
- real estate
- and metallurgical production
He frequently went on business trips, visiting client sites.
In 2008, Safonov Ivan worked in the strategic development department of the Rimera Group. Its assets provide oilfield services and manufacture oilfield equipment. Together with a team of analysts, he developed structural reorganization and strategic development programs for the Group.
2009-2010
From 2009 to 2010, Safonov Ivan Viktorovich served as the head of analytics and sales strategy at Eksmo, the largest book publishing house.
Together with his team, Ivan Safonov conducted analysis of product range effectiveness, regional branches, retail partners, pricing, and marketing activities.
Safonov Ivan, as part of the team, developed and prepared the launch of a loyalty program for bookstores. As a result, Eksmo’s products received more shelf space.
2010-2011
In 2010, Safonov Ivan was invited to the position of senior consultant at Monitor Group (which was in the global Top-5 in its segment, later acquired by Deloitte).
This large consulting company had an office in Moscow. Such practice was common among many foreign organizations: operating in the post-Soviet space while maintaining “headquarters” in the Russian capital and attracting local professionals who understood the local nuances of doing business. The synergy of foreign and Russian specialists’ expertise produced a tangible positive effect, notes Safonov Ivan Viktorovich. He, in particular, worked with a client from the Republic of Kazakhstan, which was experiencing dynamic development at the time and expanding its presence in the global natural resources market. Safonov Ivan led a group on multifaceted transformation of specialized production units of a Kazakh mining company aimed at ensuring production growth.
Another of his tasks at Monitor Group was developing an innovative strategy for a bank specializing in consumer lending. Ivan Safonov worked on structuring innovative models. He also forecasted industry development scenarios and identified key development areas requiring investment.
Safonov Ivan implemented several other projects: formulating a development strategy for a large Russian region, preparing the strategy and implementing the post-merger integration for a telecommunications operator, and forming an asset portfolio optimization plan for a large media holding company.
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov: Further Development of Hard and Soft Skills
A logical step for a consulting specialist was the decision to obtain an MBA (Master of Business Administration), which Safonov Ivan Viktorovich pursued at the world-renowned University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He received his MBA in 2013, after which he decided to find employment in the U.S. to gain unique experience working with representatives from different spheres, professions, and cultures.
In 2013, after passing a multi-level selection, he joined McKinsey & Company – one of the most prestigious employers in the consulting world. Safonov Ivan Viktorovich advanced to the position of project leader within two years. His clients included Fortune 500 members.
He was involved in developing a market entry and growth strategy for a regional company (conducting market research, assessing competition dynamics, segmenting the target audience, developing product offerings, creating partnership models).
Safonov Ivan participated in forming a product portfolio development plan for an insurance company with a focus on high-potential segment growth, including developing benefits, pricing, and sales channels. The result was an increase in the number of clients.
Ivan Viktorovich Safonov conducted a comprehensive analysis and preparation of a post-merger integration processes plan for an industrial packaging manufacturer, focusing on optimizing the product portfolio and distribution. The presented considerations satisfied all parties and the deal was approved and successfully closed.
During project implementation, he worked in cross-functional teams: with representatives from various fields, countries, and people with diverse educational backgrounds – which contributes to non-standard approaches to solving complex problems.
While working at McKinsey & Company, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov encountered tasks that he had solved as a programmer. He led the development of a client’s website with a quality metrics dashboard for 600 accounts. Use cases and external interface specifications were created and internal data flow was designed, along with the management of various stakeholders (for example, clients, contractors, regulatory bodies). At that time, digitalization had become an objective reality in business and in the functioning of state and public institutions. However, the risks associated with information security also increased, which had begun to work noticeably less effectively.
Major Project in Russia
Safonov Ivan did not plan to stay in the U.S. for long. He gained unique skills and decided to apply them in Russia, where digitalization processes were progressing at rates above the global average, which, in turn, created challenges for information security.
In 2017, Ivan Viktorovich Safonov moved to Moscow. He was invited to Boston Consulting Group (one of the top 3 global consulting companies), where he was involved in strategic consulting for a major Russian bank.
This Boston Consulting Group client was an established bank that was looking for modern ways and opportunities for breakthrough growth. Safonov Ivan and diverse specialists reformatted the financial institution’s routine work by forming a cross-functional team. It changed the customer journeys for several banking products, improving conversion rates and overall sales. Ivan Viktorovich Safonov’s programming background proved useful once again, as processes on the website and mobile app were studied in detail and optimized. The interface was made more user-friendly for clients. The list of documents or questions in required electronic questionnaires was significantly reduced.
Much was also done outside the virtual space. For example, the arrangement of furniture in the office was carefully thought out so that managers would not keep visitors waiting unnecessarily but could quickly find their prepared card, explains Safonov Ivan.
They even had to deal with logistics. Previously, the bank only produced cards in Moscow, and delivery could take quite a while. Thus, the necessary equipment was sent to various cities, and card data began to be applied locally and issued much faster. These problems were quickly solved through the combined expertise of various professionals working together: bankers, consultants, designers, developers, analysts, and others.
By the time he left Boston Consulting Group, Safonov Ivan held the position of director.
Ivan Safonov: Orion Solutions
Explaining the origin of his own company, Orion Solutions, Ivan Safonov recalls that the global trend of implementing digital tools and elements into various processes was gaining momentum. However, information security mechanisms simply could not keep up. Data distribution was becoming easier due to the diversification of channels (email, messengers, social networks, etc.). As a result, unverified, outdated, or false information about people or companies easily appears online, yet the information security world had no understanding of how to deal with this.
In 2020, keenly aware of this important niche, a new venture was launched by Ivan Safonov – Orion Solutions. In developing the company, the executive is assisted by his extensive experience in regular communication with owners and leaders of large businesses from a wide range of industries (he speaks their language).
Under the leadership of Ivan Safonov, Orion Solutions works on forming and protecting digital profiles in Google and Yandex in Russia and abroad – one segment of information security. Drawing on his consulting experience, the company head formed a team of representatives from various fields who are immersed in the information agenda, understand business interests and needs, and possess expertise in content production and legal nuances. Orion Solutions, Ivan Safonov notes, is thus able to effectively handle complex and non-standard cases.
Guided by Ivan Safonov, Orion Solutions consults interested legal entities and individuals during compliance procedures, including KYC (Know Your Customer), which are conducted by foreign companies, banks, and government institutions. Dow Jones, LexisNexis, and World-check, a global risk intelligence database, are also important, notes Ivan Safonov. Orion Solutions recommends that individuals and organizations check their presence in this database in advance, before taking any actions or operations. Being on this list is an obstacle for certain activities abroad: obtaining residency, opening accounts and businesses, purchasing real estate, especially if an individual is assigned “politically exposed person” status.
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