Global commodities trader Gunvor Group has changed its name to Centalion Group Ltd. and plans to move its corporate headquarters from Cyprus to Singapore following a management-led ownership change. The new identity took effect in October 2026 after an internal referendum in July and is intended to reflect both the company’s new ownership structure and its expansion beyond traditional oil trading into natural gas, metals and power. The development is also relevant to the tire pyrolysis sector because the former Gunvor signed a strategic agreement with Hungary-based New Energy in 2025 to purchase tire pyrolysis oil produced from end-of-life tires for use as refinery feedstock. While the rebranding announcement does not indicate any change to that cooperation, future activities under the agreement would now take place under the Centalion identity.

Gunvor name replaced by Centalion

The company said Centalion combines references to “centurion” and “battalion,” representing qualities including leadership and teamwork. The new name was selected following a company-wide referendum held in July 2026.

The rebranding follows a significant ownership transition. Gunvor was founded in 2000 by Swedish trader Torbjörn Törnqvist and Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko. Management acquired Törnqvist’s ownership interest in late 2025, leading to a new ownership structure and the appointment of American executive Gary Pedersen as CEO.

Corporate headquarters to move to Singapore

Centalion plans to redomicile its corporate headquarters from Cyprus to Singapore. According to the company, the change will involve transferring the existing legal entity rather than establishing an entirely new corporate structure.

Geneva will remain the company’s principal trading office, while its chairman and CEO will continue to be based in Houston. The structure reflects Centalion’s increasingly global trading and investment activities.

Rebrand reflects expansion beyond oil trading

The company said the new corporate identity is also intended to represent its evolution beyond its historical concentration on oil. Its trading portfolio has expanded to include greater volumes of natural gas, metals and electricity.

Commodity trading conditions have remained strong amid disruptions to international oil and gas flows, and Centalion reported net profit of $909 million during the first half of 2026.

Former Gunvor has direct connection to tire pyrolysis

The name change has relevance for the end-of-life tire pyrolysis sector through the company’s existing relationship with New Energy, a member of Hungary’s NE-TECH Group. In September 2025, Gunvor and New Energy announced a strategic cooperation agreement covering the supply of tire pyrolysis oil produced from waste tires.

Under that agreement, New Energy supplies pyrolysis oil from its industrial-scale tire recycling facility in Dunaharaszti, Hungary. The collaboration is also intended to cover production from additional NE-TECH facilities under development in Karcag, elsewhere in Western Europe and potentially outside the European Union.

Tire pyrolysis oil intended for refinery use

The cooperation with New Energy is designed to place tire pyrolysis oil into refinery value chains as an alternative to conventional fossil-derived feedstock. The approach gives hydrocarbons recovered from end-of-life tires a pathway back into industrial production rather than using them solely as fuel.

For tire pyrolysis operators, access to large commodity traders and refinery networks can be important for scaling tire-derived oil markets. Reliable offtake can provide a commercial route for increasing quantities of TPO as new European tire pyrolysis plants enter operation.

New Energy collaboration remains part of circular feedstock strategy

No changes to the New Energy agreement were announced as part of the Centalion rebranding. The ownership and corporate identity transition therefore does not, on its own, indicate a change in the company’s existing tire pyrolysis oil activities.

The cooperation nevertheless illustrates how Centalion’s broader trading portfolio can intersect with circular economy markets. Tire-derived pyrolysis oil can serve as a recycled hydrocarbon feedstock for refineries and chemical value chains, linking end-of-life tire recycling with conventional energy and petrochemical infrastructure.

Centalion identity marks new phase for commodity trader

The transition from Gunvor to Centalion represents a substantial corporate change for one of the world’s major independent commodity traders. Alongside new ownership and relocation of its headquarters, the company is seeking to present itself as a more diversified energy and commodities business.

For the tire recycling and pyrolysis industry, the principal point of continuity is Centalion’s inherited cooperation with New Energy. As industrial tire pyrolysis capacity expands, relationships between recyclers, commodity traders, refineries and chemical companies are becoming increasingly important for establishing large-scale markets for tire pyrolysis oil and other circular raw materials.

Original report by Centalion / Gunvor via Newswire.