Varsovia Fernandez, the former CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, will become the state's new market leader for fast-growing firm Customers Bank.

Fernandez will be managing the company's commercial lending. She will be focusing on raising access to capital for small and minority businesses in Philadelphia.

"Varsovia's experience in building relationships in the Philadelphia business community and understanding the needs of small business will support our expansion of commercial lending services," Customers Bank President Dick Ehst told Biz Journals. "Varsovia shares our commitment to personalized service that connects small businesses with the right resources in order to foster commercial growth in the communities we serve."

Fernandez was president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for almost a decade, before announcing her resignation in late 2015.

"I am proud to have gathered Latino leadership [over the years] and to have identified this community of Latino business owners," the lady executive told Al Dia News.

Fernandez was responsible for expanding the organization's workforce to a record of 600 members while also increasing revenues and member-driven activities.

She played a pivotal role in raising awareness for minority business education, widening access to SBA funding and advocating for legislative issues beneficial for business and economic growth.

"Beyond her work on behalf of GPHCC, Varsovia has been a great colleague to those of us who've worked with her," said GPHCC chairman Louis Rodriguez. "Her insights, collaborative spirit and dedication will be truly missed, as we look forward to starting a new chapter in GPHCC history."

In December, the GPHCC announced that Jennifer Rodriguez, who was then the executive director of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs, would succeed Fernandez.

Rodríguez also served as Vice President of Financial Services for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation from 2001 to 2008. Furthermore, she previously served on the chamber's board and said she knows how important the organization is to the Hispanic community.

Even though GPHCC has grown significantly over the years, Louis Rodríguez believes one of the challenges it needs to face moving forward is being able to efficiently assist smaller businesses.

As for Customers Bank, the Customers Bancorp subsidiary has an estimated $7.6 billion in assets, despite only having a handful of branches spread over New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New Jersey.

Market Beat reported that shares of Customers Bancorp have earned an average rating of "buy" from the seven analysts that are currently covering the stock.

One equities research analyst rated the stock with a "hold" rating while six have given the brokerage firm a "buy" rating.