Laurie Balch
Research Director

Laurie has over 20 years' experience as a leading analyst covering a broad range of technologies targeting the design and engineering community. Formerly Chief Analyst with Gary Smith EDA and a Research Director in Gartner, Laurie has tracked market trends in EDA, semiconductor IP, embedded software, semiconductor automated test equipment (ATE), design for test (DFT), mechanical CAx (CAD/CAM/CAE) applications and product lifecycle management (PLM).

Among Laurie's research focuses is system-level design and ESL, DFT and test methodologies, IP and enterprise tools, circuit analysis tools, forecasting and statistics. She has extensive experience in developing end-user studies and conducting strategic advisory analyses.

Prior to joining Gartner, Laurie worked for General Electric in the power generation business, where she held diverse roles in engineering, manufacturing and marketing. Laurie holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from The Cooper Union in New York City and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Santa Clara University.