Darren Gearing left his post last week as General Manager of Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel Beijing to take up a new assignment as Senior Director of Development–Special Projects.

Gearing will be based at Shangri-La Corporate Offices in Hong Kong. His responsibilities will cover new hotel project development in Beijing and Shanghai.

For the past 4 years under Gearing's direction, Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel says it has had outstanding sales and service achievements. In 2005 Shangri-La's Kerry Centre Hotel Beijing was recognized as Shangri-La's Hotel of the Year.

Having studied Hotel and Catering Institutional Management from 1983 to 1987 in his native England, Gearing has worked in many gateway cities including Hong Kong, Boston, Singapore and Beijing.