Challenge Business has announced at the Southampton Boat show three brand-new Global Challenge yacht sponsors and a consortium member for Team Save the Children.

Uniysis/ EMC, Sony and Stelmar Shipping are the new yacht sponsors and Mellon Bank a consortium member.

Unisys – a worldwide information technology services and solutions company and EMC – a world leader in products, services, and solutions for information storage and management – are using the sponsorship to showcase their global strategic partnership. The only female skipper, Dee Caffari will be skippering their yacht, which will be emblazoned with the two companies logos.

Headquartered in Athens, Greece, Stelmar Shipping, which will be sponsoring Clive Cosby’s yacht, provides international transportation services to major oil companies, oil traders and state-owned oil companies.

Adrian McMahon, UK Managing Director, commented: “We’re delighted to be participating in the Global Challenge as a Yacht Sponsor. As a shipping company with vessels continually plying the world’s oceans, there are many parallels between the event and our business. We look forward to following the progress of Team Stelmar in the ‘Worlds Toughest Yacht Race’.”

At a press conference at the show Sir Chay Blyth opened his speech by thanking the existing sponsors for their continuing support before welcoming the new companies into the race’s sponsorship community: “The Global Challenge is a unique race, offering so many opportunities for such a very wide range of sponsors, as we can see in this room today! Our latest signings bring the number of sponsoring companies involved in the Global Challenge to more than 100.

“We are very proud that the race holds such prestige and is continuing to attract major international blue chip companies. The race continues to build in momentum day by day and these latest signings are testament to this. We look forward to working closely with these companies, and all of our sponsors, to make this the best race yet.”

Sony will be showcasing its VAIO brand, which can be seen on many of Sony’s products. Italian skipper, Amedeo Sorrentino will be taking charge of the VAIO yacht in the race.

New consortium member, Mellon Bank, which will be aboard Paul Kelly’s Team Save the Children, is a US headquartered company, which dates back to 1869. Today it is one of the leading providers of financial services and is divided into two core business groups – asset management and corporate and institutional services.

Barclays, BG Group, SAIC, BP and Carte Blanche Greetings are sponsoring the other Global Challenge yachts.