"As a young man," according to "The New York Times", Martínez "was a member of Regnum Christi, an evangelical group related to the Legionaries of Christ, an influential Roman Catholic order in Mexico that includes among its benefactors the billionaire Carlos Slim." After earning a degree in electrical engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM or Tec de Monterrey), he "moved to Rome to study philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University and considered becoming a priest." He soon decided, however, that he did not have a clerical vocation, and instead obtained a loan from a friend's father in order to study at Harvard Business School. There he excelled as a student, made important connections, and earned an MBA.