The founder, Louis Marchesi was a young member of Norwich Rotary Club, who felt the need of a club for young businessmen in the city where he may meet regularly. These meetings could exchange ideas, learn from the experience of their colleagues and make active part in civic life in Norwich. He called this new club Round Table (Roundtable), because in this club each member can tell their views and
everyone is treated equally. Within a year the club had 85 members and interest that was shown by establishing new workshops in other cities. A second roundtable was founded in Portsmouth in 1928 and debt increases rapidly, until 1939, there were 4600 members and 125 tables. Roundtable became international with the formation of the club in Copenhagen in 1936. During the war roundtable continued to expand in Denmark, although the British Isles activity was prohibited. After 1945 the roundtable had rapid growth and new clubs sprang up all over the UK. The roundtable is present in most European countries across Africa , Middle East , India , Hong Kong , New Zealand and America. From an early stage Roundtable was a club apolitical and does not discriminate according to religion , this continuing until today .
