The Lion Electric Company on Tuesday named Brian Piern as chief commercial officer, effective June 7.

In this role, Piern will guide Lion, a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, to the next level of its growth by expanding to new markets and building on long-standing relationships with existing clients, while developing new accounts and expanding market share. He will report to Marc Bedard, founder and CEO.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brian to the Lion family at such an exciting time in the company’s history,” said  Bedard. “Brian’s experience in successfully scaling commercial sales in the zero-emission fleet technology and logistics sectors will be a valuable and welcome addition to Lion’s leadership team, as we expand our presence and increase sales volume throughout North America. We are at a critical point in the adoption of heavy-duty electric vehicles and are confident that with Brian’s leadership Lion will remain at the forefront of the zero-emission transportation sector.”

Piern most recently served as vice-president, sales and marketing at XL Fleet Corp., where he directed the development of the firm’s commercial team. Prior to this role, he served as senior vice-president of sales at Element Fleet Management and previously held the same position at GE Capital, leading the development and execution of multimillion-dollar sales strategies.

He has also served in senior roles at Schneider National, Lockheed Martin, and Citicorp. Piern holds a bachelor of science degree in marketing from Towson University in Maryland and a master of business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Phoenix.