Helena Norberg-Hodge is the founder of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) and Co-Founder of the International Forum on Globalization (IFG). A linguist by training, Norberg-Hodge has long been extremely critical of conventional notions of development. She first visited Ladakh in 1975 and founded the Ladakh Project to provide Ladakhis with the means with which they could make more informed choices about their own future. In recognition for her work she was given a Right Livelihood Award in 1986, also known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize.' She is the author of Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh (1991). She sits on the International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture.