Hoban will be looking after marketing and communications, both outward facing to the public, and across all of government.
He joins Directgov after stepping down from his position at Scottish Widows in September last year. During his three-year stint at the company he oversaw the brand's tier-one domestic sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympics.
Previously a marketer at Barclaycard, Hoban has also held positions at British Airways and Scottish & Newcastle.
Separately, Directgov appointed Guy Ker as director of publishing.
Ker will be responsible for publishing government information and services for the public across all Directgov digital channels, including the internet, mobile and TV.
He joins from ITN where he held the position of chief operating officer. Ker is also a former managing editor of Channel Four News.
David Matthewman also joins Directgov as director of product infrastructure and technical capability (CTO).
Matthewman will be responsible for the overall technical strategy and its delivery for Directgov.
He was previously the IT director for insurance intermediary BGL group and led the technology delivery for internal brands including Bennetts, Budget and ComparetheMarket.com.
Jayne Nickalls, Directgov's chief executive, said: "The three new directors are being put in place to provide stronger focussed leadership to meet this challenge, bringing with them commercial sector expertise."