When Sophia Pang first joined the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition she knew it would take her to one of the most extreme environments on the planet.  What she did not know was that her achievements would also take her to a lavish reception hosted by the President of Singapore.

On a sunny Friday afternoon, the Banquet Hall of the Presidential residence played host to Sophia Pang and the management team of Kaspersky Lab in recognition of Sophia&rsquos accomplishment of becoming the first Singaporean woman to ski to the South Pole.

The President of Singapore, His Excellency S.R. Nathan hosted the reception, while Mr Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and Founder of Kaspersky Labs interrupted his busy schedule to attend the glamorous occasion.

Among the other dignitaries were The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Mrs Lim Hwee Hwa, Minister in the Prime Minister&rsquos Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport, who is also the Singapore Team Patron for the Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. Mrs Lim spoke about the significance of Sophia&rsquos achievement and why all of Singapore was proud of her amazing accomplishments.

In addition to Eugene Kaspersky, Mr Harry Cheung Managing Director for APAC and Ms Gun Suk Ling, the Managing Director for South East Asia also represented Kaspersky Lab at the reception.  Mr Cheung and Mr Kaspersky even travelled to Antarctic to meet Sophia and her team when they arrived at the South Pole.

Friends and family of Sophia were fascinated as she took the guests through a photo presentation detailing the challenges her team faced on their 900km journey.

Commenting on the success of the expedition, Mr Kaspersky said his company felt like it was part of the team, helping to support the women through each and every step of their trip. 

&ldquoWhen we first heard about Sophia and her team&rsquos quest to ski to the South Pole, I knew that it was something Kaspersky Lab wanted to support.  They were just months away from their start date but they had yet to secure the funding they needed to ensure the expedition could go ahead. And it was Sophia who approached Kaspersky Lab and helped secure our support &ndash not just for her &ndash but for the whole team,&rdquo Mr Kaspersky said.

More pictures of the event at : http://www.kklub.net/Photos.aspx

While Sophia was honoured by the Presidential reception, she took time to thank her sponsors and the people who made the expedition possible.

&ldquoWe would never have made it to the South Pole without the support of Kaspersky Lab. When I first approach them, I was hoping Kaspersky Lab would support my ambition to be the first Singaporean woman to ski to the South Pole.  When Kaspersky Lab agreed to sponsor the entire team, I simply jumped for joy,&rdquo Ms Pang said.

At the conclusion of the reception President Nathan presented Sophia with a RISIS Plate in recognition of the honour she had brought to Singapore.