(NECN) - Steve Holliday, CEO of National Grid, addressed the Chief Executives' Club of Boston at Boston College.

Holliday discussed his company's role in the world.

"Our job is pretty simple: We connect people to the energy that they use," said Holliday. "That's it. You can make it sound very sophisticated, very complicated. Fundamentally, we connect people to the energy that they use."

Holliday explained four key areas of focus for National Grid, including aging infrastructure, revolution in energy supplies, extreme weather and skills.

"We're very proud of the way that we respond to storms. They are very challenging. Employees go the extra mile in situations. It's unbelievable," said Holliday. "But in 2011, we were caught off guard with Hurricane Irene, because in many ways, our planning for storms was also about, 'let's look backwards about what used to happen and let's make sure we're better prepared for the future.' And of course, looking backwards isn't enough ... Learning from that, though, helped us prepare for the infamous Superstorm Sandy."