• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 4, 2012

Interpublic Group media agency Initiative has hired Scott Marsden as senior vice president, director digital. He will be responsible for leading the agency’s East Coast digital practice. 

As part of that remit, he will oversee digital accounts for clients, including USAA, Hasbro and the recently added MillerCoors.

Marsden’s hire follows a recent reorganization by the agency that separated the shop’s digital and Innovations units. Dave Rosner had overseen Innovations and East Coast digital operations. But the shop decided that with both areas experiencing growth, it needed separate managers to run the units. As a result, Rosner returned full-time to running the Innovations operation, while Marsden succeeds him as head of the East Coast digital unit.

Marsden joins Initiative from e-commerce company True Action Network, a unit of eBay, where he was vice president and marketing director with oversight of the e-commerce and digital marketing efforts for Toys R Us. Previously, Marsden was group director, strategy at Omnicom’s OMD, where he worked on client accounts such Visa and Bank of America. Earlier, he was a media director at WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather.

The hire reunites Marsen with Nick Pahade, president and CEO for Initiative North America. The two worked together at True Action, where Pahade served as president. Pahade described Marsden as an executive “who will bring innovative ideas, direction and results to our clients.”

Marsden will be based at Initiative’s New York offices and will report to Michael Hayes, president Digital Communications Worldwide.