A hetero-bimetallic Pd-Ru N-Heterocyclic Dicarbene (NHDC) complex was synthesized from a Ag-Ru complex by transmetalation. The Pd-Ru system displays high catalytic activity in tandem Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling/transfer hydrogenation reaction of bromoaryl ketones with boronic acids in toluene and 2-propanol in the presence of KOH. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.