Amid all the grumblings of possible layoffs and what not from New York to Atlanta, Schematic finally has some positive news to report as the WPP unit has tapped AKQA alum Jason Whiting to serve as managing director of its Big Apple office.

Whiting, who spent seven years at AKQA, was first based in the digital agency’s San Fran base and was an account director on Xbox and Nike before eventually moving up to New York in 2008 to lead AKQA’s East Coast operations in NY and D.C. Prior to his agency work, Whiting (whose departure from AKQA was imminent as of last November) was a strategy consultant for Tiger Woods’ favorite sponsor Accenture and also was press secretary for two different members of Congress while in D.C.

More: “AKQA Adds Staff on Both Coasts”