As we ponder with concerns around pink ribbons are at risk of becoming mere symbols, Noelene Kotschan continues to prove that the fight against breast cancer is about sustained action, not seasonal awareness. The founder and CEO of PinkDrive, South Africa’s flagship non-profit for women’s health and cancer screening, has just been named Social Impact Influencer of the Year (NPO) at the 2025 Fluxx Awards in Doha, Qatar.

Receiving this global recognition during Breast Cancer Awareness Month adds an almost poetic resonance to the moment. For Kotschan, who has spent years mobilising screenings, spreading education, and reaching communities across the country, the award is more than a personal milestone, it’s a collective win shared by many.

“This award is not mine alone,” she said. “It belongs to every healthcare worker, partner, sponsor, and community member who stands with us in the fight against cancer.”

Under Kotschan’s leadership, PinkDrive has been unrelenting in its mission to make early detection and education accessible to all. Their mobile health units have become a familiar sight in both rural and urban South Africa, bridging the healthcare gap with a simple yet powerful message: no woman left behind.

The Fluxx Awards, hosted as part of the Fluxx Conference, honour changemakers shaping equitable and sustainable futures across business, healthcare, and social innovation. The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, joined in commending Kotschan for her contribution to the national fight against cancer, noting the Department’s commitment to collaborating with PinkDrive to reduce cancer-related mortality and financial strain through better access to early detection.

At Tinar, we celebrate this recognition not only as a triumph of one woman’s leadership, but as a reminder of what it means to create social infrastructure through empathy. In a landscape where influence is often measured in likes, Kotschan reminds us that impact remains the truest metric of all.