Each month enjoy a frank, practical conversation, and the kind of insights you rarely get at work or on LinkedIn.

The Breakfast Mastermind is a small-scale, high-impact series for members to exchange with one of The Nine’s advisory board members.

Over coffee and breakfast (because authenticity tastes better with a pastry), the discussion is shaped by the room: your questions, your challenges, your current realities. Expect sharp perspectives, concrete examples, hard-earned lessons, and space for honest dialogue.

Each session is intentionally limited in size to keep the exchange dynamic, personal, and genuinely useful. You’ll leave with new ways of thinking, a sense of emulation, and a stronger connection to the women steering The Nine.

Light breakfast is included. If you have any food or dietary restrictions, please let us know at events@thenine.be at least 7 days prior to the event.

This month, meet Eva Gerhards ,

Ever wondered what it's really like to work for the European Union?

Join Eva Gerhards, Deputy Head of Cabinet to European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, for an insider's look at careers within the EU institutions. Drawing on more than two decades at the European Commission, Eva will demystify how EU careers work, what opportunities exist, and how recruitment has evolved.

Beyond practical guidance, she'll also explore some of the most important questions shaping today's European institutions: gender equality, women in leadership, geographical balance, diversity in recruitment, and the policies designed to build a more representative public administration.

Whether you're considering a career in the EU, curious about how Europe's institutions operate, or passionate about equality and public leadership, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective from someone helping shape European policy at the highest level.

Over the past 22 years at the European Commission, Eva has helped shape landmark European legislation, including the Pay Transparency Directive, the Women on Boards Directive, the Directive combating Violence against Women, and the legal framework for Equality Bodies.

Before joining the Commission, Eva worked as a competition lawyer and management consultant. A lawyer by training, educated in Germany and Switzerland, she combines extensive policy expertise with practical leadership experience across several European Commission Directorates-General and Commissioners' Cabinets.

She has led complex legislative negotiations, managed multidisciplinary teams, and represented the Commission on some of Europe's most strategic policy priorities, making her uniquely placed to explain both how the EU works, and how you can become part of it.

If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know by emailing events@thenine.be no later than 7 days before the event.