Angela Cherry to receive IAOTP Empowered Woman Award in New York

The International Association of Top Professionals will honor Angela Cherry at its annual awards gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City this December. Cherry, the co-founder and CEO of Upruvd and president of SecureStream Pay Solutions, is being recognized for her leadership across fintech, media and fashion.

Why it matters: - IAOTP’s Empowered Woman Award puts a national spotlight on Angela Cherry’s rise from payments and business development roles to executive leadership. - The recognition adds external validation for Cherry’s work across fintech, media, fashion and film. - The award also underscores IAOTP’s role as a gatekeeper for professional recognition in its network.

What happened: - The International Association of Top Professionals selected Angela Cherry for its Empowered Woman Award. - IAOTP will honor Cherry at its 2026 Annual Awards Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City this December. - Cherry is co-founder, president and CEO of Upruvd and president of SecureStream Pay Solutions. - IAOTP recognized Cherry as Top President and CEO of the Year in 2024 and named her among its Top 50 Fearless Leaders of 2025.

The details: - Upruvd is a fintech company that serves businesses in complex industries as a specialty processor and concierge partner. - Cherry built her career after growing up on a farm in rural Middle Tennessee. - She did not follow a traditional college path and later rebuilt her life as a single mother after divorce. - Her early roles were in administrative and legal work before she moved into business development in the payments industry. - Mentors encouraged her transition, and she later secured complex contracts and became one of the top national sales producers. - Investors later tapped Cherry to lead and rebrand the company now known as SecureStream Pay Solutions. - As president, Cherry helped drive strategic growth and a client-centered culture focused on transparent business practices, secure technology and white-glove service. - Cherry has also worked as a runway and print model and has appeared at New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week and Paris Fashion Week. - Her media presence includes magazine covers, Times Square billboards and a Nasdaq billboard in Times Square. - Cherry serves on the core faculty of Voice to Influence. - She founded and hosts the Fierce Frequency podcast. - Cherry is an executive producer of The Cassandra Project, a trilogy of scripted short films about women whose voices are dismissed or not believed. - Other honors include placement on The Top 100 Magazine’s Top 100 in Finance in 2024, recognition by The Executive Lens among its Top 5 Outstanding Leaders of 2024, and naming by The Victory Magazine among its Most Influential Women Leaders to Watch in 2024. - SecureStream Pay Solutions won Corporate Vision Global Business Awards recognition as Best ISO Credit Card Processing Company in 2024 and 2025. - SecureStream Pay Solutions also received the Wealth & Finance FinTech Awards 2026 honor for Best Payment Processing Solutions – USA. - IAOTP said Cherry will be considered for a feature in TIP Magazine. - More information about the award gala is available in IAOTP’s announcement.

Between the lines: - The award story is as much about reinvention as it is about credentials. - Cherry’s background, from rural Tennessee to executive leadership, is central to the narrative IAOTP is elevating. - The recognition also helps position Upruvd and SecureStream Pay Solutions within a crowded fintech market.

What's next: - Cherry will be honored at IAOTP’s annual gala in New York this December. - IAOTP said she may be featured in TIP Magazine as part of the recognition process. - Cherry is expected to continue building Upruvd while expanding her influence across business and media.

The bottom line: - IAOTP is betting on Angela Cherry as a model of leadership, reinvention and women’s advancement across industries.