We are excited to honor Carlos Martins as our 2026 Alumni Achievement Award. As part of his award, he will be giving a lecture on October 8 at 11am in the WSC Varsity Theater.
Carlos W. Martins (BS '85) came from Brazil to Utah to attend Brigham Young University,
earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science and statistics. Missionaries in Brazil
taught him English as a child, and after graduating from BYU, Carlos was inspired to help
others learn English as well. He returned to Brazil and founded Wizard Language Schools,
which became the largest chain of language schools in the world with more than 3,000
locations, 1 million annual students, and 50,000 employees. Carlos is recognized as one of
Brazil’s leading business figures, with more than 30 years of experience in franchising. He
currently invests across multiple sectors, including education, sports, retail, technology,
and food service.
He is the author of several best-selling books that have been published in Latin America,
the United States, Europe, and China. Together with his wife Vânia, Carlos spent two years
on the Brazil–Venezuela border providing humanitarian support to refugees. Carlos and
Vânia have been married for 47 years and are the parents of six children and grandparents
of 19 grandchildren.