Allan Martini was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 11, 1928, where he attended Minneapolis public schools. Martini served in the military and followed this with attendance at the University of Minnesota, where he received his degree in Geological Engineering in 1951. After his studies, Martini began work as an exploration geologist with the California Company, a firm which would serve as a stepping stone to the formation of Chevron. His work in the field began in Casper, Wyoming, and over the course of the next 17 years he participated in exploration assignments in the Rocky Mountains / Williston Basin, the Louisiana Gulf Coast, and in California.

After his explorations in these areas, Martini became the Vice President of Exploration at another Chevron precursor, Western Operations Inc. In 1980 Martini became the president of Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc., responsible for the exploration and production operations in foreign locales not including Canada, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Allan would rise to become vice president of Chevron USA, a position he held from 1984 to 1986. After his presidency he was elected as a director of the Chevron Corporation, gaining responsibility for the company’s global exploration and production. He would retire from the company in 1988.

Allan Martini married in 1951 and has four children with his wife, Eleanor. He resides in Tiburon, California (near San Francisco) where his principal hobby is flying.