⏱ 1 min read
Background
Gunvor is a giant in hydrocarbon trading, founded in Geneva 26 years ago. It is one of the top five players in this business worldwide. A month ago, the group changed its corporate name to Centalion.
The key points
Le Temps traces the group's year in five dates, on 6 November 2026. Gunvor underwent a change of ownership, management and name.
Damage to its reputation piled up, from Washington to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG). The OAG has opened a third criminal investigation into the group in fifteen years. The newspaper's account begins on 6 November 2025, with the phrase “Kremlin puppet”.
The newspaper compares this name change with other cases: Facebook becoming Meta, Philip Morris becoming Altria Group, Valeant becoming Bausch Health. According to Le Temps, these companies wanted to shed an image linked to an accusation or a scandal.
Key figures
- 26 years : age of the group, founded in Geneva
- Top 5 : world ranking in hydrocarbon trading
- 3 : criminal investigations opened by the OAG in fifteen years
Analysis
- According to Le Temps : everything suggests that the name change aims to erase a reputation that had become a burden.
Further reading
Sources
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