Tony Watkins (left) and Nate Baguio join Lion as the electric school bus manufacturer is expanding its vehicle lineup.

Tony Watkins (left) and Nate Baguio join Lion as the electric school bus manufacturer is expanding its vehicle lineup.

The Lion Electric Co. has named two new sales executives for the U.S. market.

Tony Watkins and Nate Baguio have both been appointed to the roles of vice president of sales USA for Lion, which manufactures the eLion electric Type C school bus.

As previously reported, the company also recently named a new chief commercial officer USA, Peter Rego.

The appointments come at a time when Lion is expanding its lineup of electric vehicles. The company is developing an electric Type A bus for paratransit, school, and public transportation that is expected to go to market this summer. Lion also plans to launch a line of electric trucks this fall.

Watkins has more than 16 years of experience in sales and operational leadership. He has led teams of more than 80 members and has covered as many as 12 states in the Midwest and Northeast regions.

“I am confident that Tony’s meticulous leadership style that has proven to be extremely successful in his 16-year career at a Fortune 500 multibillion-dollar company will accelerate our ability to build large teams and expand our product offering in the United States rapidly,” Rego said.

Watkins said that he joined Lion “because I share the same environmental and forward-thinking values as the company, and I envision my son going to school on an electric school bus when he starts school in a few years.”

Baguio, Lion’s other new vice president of sales, previously worked in business development for the largest school bus contractor in North America, First Student. He reportedly sold more than $200 million in total contract value across 20 school systems.

“There are few transportation executives in North America that have experience in nearly every phase of student transportation services as Nate Baguio,” Rego said. “We are excited to not only bring his thought leadership, but also his proven ability to grow companies like the Lion Electric Co. to provide all-electric healthy solutions to our society and children.”

Baguio called his new role with Lion “the most exciting opportunity I have faced in my 28 years in the transportation industry. I have the chance to change the traditional business of transportation culture through innovation and by providing green technologies that make sense economically, are sustainable, and will benefit our future generations.”

About the author
Thomas McMahon

Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

View Bio
0 Comments