Efficient catalytic reduction of lignin model molecules and reductive depolymerization of softwood and hardwood lignins is presented with the iridium based Brookhart's catalyst and hydrosilanes R₃SiH as reductant. This catalyst displays increased stability and selectivity in comparison to the B(C₆F₅)₃/hydrosilane system and it enables a convergent reductive depolymerization of wood lignins to isolable mono-aromatics.