Woburn, MA – February 15, 2018 – Kaspersky Lab has renewed its partnership with renowned polar explorer Felicity Aston MBE, who, in April this year, will lead a team of 11 women, consisting of predominantly novice explorers, on a ten-day expedition to the North Pole.

Having sponsored two of Aston’s previous polar adventures – the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition in 2009, and the Kaspersky ONE Transantarctic Expedition in 2011 – Kaspersky Lab is pleased to announce its support of her latest endeavor: the first ever all-women Euro-Arabian North Pole expedition.

Aston and her team, comprised of seven women from Europe and five women from the Arabian Peninsula, will depart from the Barneo ice camp at the beginning of April, aiming to arrive approximately ten days later at the geographic North Pole.

“The aim of the expedition is not just to reach the top of the world but to challenge stereotypes, change perceptions and provide some insight along the way,” said Aston. “I’m delighted that Kaspersky Lab are backing this expedition, as they have done two of my previous Antarctic expeditions, because I know their support comes from a genuine desire to challenge the status quo.”

The only other team member with significant adventuring experience is Russian mountain guide Olga Rumyantseva, who undertook the Kaspersky 7 Volcanoes Expedition in 2013. In doing so, Rumyantseva became the first woman in history to solo-climb the highest volcano summits in each of the seven continents within one calendar year.

Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky, who will fly to the North Pole to meet and congratulate the women upon their arrival, said the company is proud to continue its support of inspiring female adventurers like Aston and her team.

“For me, arctic adventuring isn’t just an exciting challenge, it’s a powerful motivation,” said Kaspersky. “People like Felicity and her team – determined and passionate – genuinely inspire me. They are also role models for the younger generation – they help them to really go after what they want in life.”

Alex Moiseev, chief business officer at Kaspersky Lab, added, “As a company full of bright female minds who have challenged the status quo to become coders, programmers and cybersecurity researchers, we want to encourage and empower more young women to be brave and do the unexpected – whether that’s reaching the North Pole, or learning to code and becoming a cyber-defender. These 12 adventurers, with such diverse and unique backgrounds, remind us that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.”

More information on the expedition, including details on the scientific studies taking place during the trip and a full list of team members, is available here.