Management
The Shinra Company is led by a president and board of directors, each with their own portfolio and responsibility for a sector of the company's operations. The highest office in the company is that of the President. The President has total control over company affairs, convenes the board and acts as its chair. Next is the office of the Vice-President, however the duties of this office are never made clear other than acting as a successor in waiting to the President. After Rufus succeeds his father he makes no known appointment to the Vice-Presidential office.
The Department of Public Relations and Public Safety Maintenance was Shinra's largest department and headed by Heidegger. This department controlled Shinra's military and policing service as well as the elite SOLDIER unit. SOLDIER was originally a separate portfolio but was brought into the Public Safety Maintenance Department by Heidegger after the demotion of Lazard, who had previously been the director of SOLDIER. The members of SOLDIER were specially trained, elite fighters divided into Third, Second, and First Class branches. Sephiroth, Zack Fair, Angeal Hewley, and Genesis Rhapsodos were First Class members of SOLDIER before the Nibelheim incident.
The Department of General Affairs was also incorporated with the Department of Public Relations and Public Safety Maintenance by Heidegger after he seized control of the department from Verdot but maintained semi-autonomy through the "Investigation Division of the Department of General Affairs", better known as the Turks. This division formed Shinra's special security force, under the leadership of Tseng who reported to Heidegger. The Turks performed covert operations on behalf of the company, including espionage, kidnappings and assassinations. They also acted as scouts for potential candidates for Shinra's elite military unit, SOLDIER,[17][18] and serve as bodyguards for the Shinra executives. After the demise of the company the Turks remained loyal to Rufus and acted as his bodyguard and carried out Intelligence operations to aid the reconstruction of the company.
Shinra had a large Department of Science and Research, originally under Dr. Gast until he was replaced by Professor Hojo, which dealt with research into the Cetra, Mako energy, bio-chemistry and genetics. The department was also in charge of the Jenova Project which was used to create Sephiroth and the "perfect" SOLDIERs. Mako was one of the two main components in biologically enhancing members of SOLDIER. It was also used in a series of experiments by Professors Gast and Hojo on living people. SOLDIERs are not only infused with Mako, however. They are also injected with Jenova cells. Jenova's cells together with Mako gives them far greater strength and cognitive ability than ordinary humans possess, provided they are mentally strong enough to handle the Mako infusion process without suffering from mako poisoning