Young CEO Isabelle Himbert Expands Family Business Globally

How a 26-Year-Old Transformed a Legacy Business into a Global Powerhouse

Isabelle Himbert Leads Arno Arnold Into Its Sixth Generation—And Into China

Isabelle Himbert took the helm of Arno Arnold in its sixth generation of family leadership. Shortly after stepping into her role, she helped establish a production facility in China for the Hessian hidden champion.

At just 26, Himbert joined her family's business—only for the COVID-19 pandemic to strike soon after. To ensure customers in Asia could still be supplied during the crisis, she founded a new plant in China, where 40 employees now work for the hidden champion.

Today, the Chinese site is self-sustaining, Himbert says. "That makes us incredibly proud."

When Isabelle Himbert joined her family's company at 26, she turned the crisis into an opportunity. It was early 2020: the pandemic had sent global trade into freefall, factories ground to a halt, borders sealed shut, and supply chains collapsed.

So the new co-CEO called her team together. They reconfigured production, sourced plastic sheeting, and overnight, Himbert launched an online shop. From that moment on, the family business began manufacturing face visors for virus protection. "It was incredibly exciting because we developed a brand-new product in just a few days—and everyone was on board," she recalls. "It gave the company a huge boost of energy."

Normally, Arno Arnold produces protective covers for machinery manufacturers worldwide. The company, based in Obertshausen, Hesse, is a market leader in its niche, holding 100 active patents and employing 130 people globally—nearly 50 of them at its German headquarters. According to research platform Northdata, the site generated a high seven-figure sum in revenue in 2024, though the company itself does not disclose financial details.

Himbert officially took over as successor from her parents in 2020. As a young leader, she blazed new trails—all the way to China. In an interview, she explains how she made it happen.

Many of the employees at Arno Arnold have been part of Himbert's life since childhood. Business was a constant topic at home. "At lunch, there was a clear order: first, as the youngest, I got to talk about my day, then my brother, and after that, it was all about the company," she says. "In my earliest friendship books in kindergarten and school, I always wrote that I wanted to be an inventor later on because I found it so fascinating that we had so many patents at Arnold."

"I never wanted to just step into a ready-made nest."

—Isabelle Himbert

Her parents hoped their children would take over—becoming the sixth generation in 160 years of company history. And indeed, Himbert studied business administration at the Stockholm School of Economics and WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management in Koblenz. But a career in Obertshausen seemed too easy. "I wanted to prove myself," she says. "If I went straight into the family business, I'd be taking the supposedly easy path—just settling into a ready-made nest," she thought at the time.

So she pursued internships at Beiersdorf and L'Oréal, landed a job at Google in Ireland—and then returned to Arno Arnold after all. "I have to smile now when I think back on that 'ready-made nest' idea. It's anything but."

The industry is male-dominated, and suppliers and customers often negotiate with seasoned engineers. Himbert, young, female, and a business graduate, had to demonstrate her expertise. "I had to prove I understood the subject just as deeply as anyone else," she says. So she immersed herself in the company's products, processes, and technology—until no one questioned her competence again. To empower women, she co-founded a network through the Hessenmetall employers' association. The "Women in Leadership" group, she says, gives her "the confidence to handle situations that might otherwise catch me off guard."

The next challenge at Arno Arnold: leading colleagues she had known since childhood. She had to earn their trust, too. She drove forklifts, worked in administration, and joined the production line until she had experienced every role in the company. And she introduced a first-name basis for everyone.

When the team pivoted to producing COVID-19 visors during the pandemic, Himbert saw it as an opportunity. She used the momentum to strengthen teamwork, she says. "It was like our little startup within the big company."

But the pandemic also taught a harsh lesson: when supply chains fail, so does the economy. Geopolitical tensions and trade disputes have only heightened fears of shortages and tariffs. Since the pandemic, companies have increasingly sought local suppliers to reduce global risks—and China has pursued this decoupling with particular determination.

For Arno Arnold, the People's Republic is one of the most important markets. "If we want to be a global supplier, we have to be close to our customers," says Himbert. "In the long run, customers won't be willing to pay for shipping, tariffs, and the carbon footprint."

That's why the company also manufactures its protective covers in Kunshan, west of Shanghai. Arno Arnold has operated its own plant there for three years, where 40 employees adapt German designs and expertise for customers across Asia.

By now, the site is self-sustaining. "That makes us very proud," says Himbert. She is convinced that the Chinese plant even strengthens their operations in Germany. Had they continued exporting to Asia, they would have lost customers and orders—and with them, jobs back home. "Producing locally helps us win new business. It was never about shifting jobs from here to China."

Himbert's husband, Benedikt, oversees the Asia operations and is expanding the plant. "It was incredibly demanding during the height of Covid," she recalls. Strict entry requirements forced them to stay in the country for long periods, living in quarantine hotels. "It was quite an adventure: eleven square meters for ten days, no opening the window, and three tests a day."

The business is always present in their marriage, too. "We talk about the first email of the day in the shower and discuss work again after our goodnight kiss," Himbert says. "For us, work is more than just a job—it's part of our lives."