Butler will be tasked with building on the team's environmental marketing concept -- the Earth Car.
He joins the team from Laureus, where he was marketing director for Laureus Sports Awards, the Laureus World Sports Academy and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Laureus is a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and luxury goods group Richemont.
Prior to joining Laureus, Butler spent seven years with Octagon/API in the UK and South Africa, becoming divisional board director, managing a range of high profile sponsorship, media and broadcast initiatives.
Nick Fry, chief executive officer of the Honda Racing F1 team, said: "In my opinion [David] is one of the most dynamic and energetic marketers operating within the sports arena today and his wealth of experience speaks for itself.
"We have been delighted with the impact we have made across the globe with our 'Earth Car' livery and website and I have no doubt that David has the skills and experience to build on our success to date and take our marketing programme to a new level."
The F1 team launched the Earth Car earlier this year as a marketing initiative to help raise awareness of the environmental issues facing the planet.
Butler said: "The whole Earth Car concept is based on integrity marketing and Honda has a long track record of integrity. We will be seeking to build a platform based on that integrity through a coordinated marketing effort that aims to have a far-reaching impact."