Good regioselectivity and chirality transfer for aryl-substituted allyl units is achieved in allylic alkylations with a wide range of nucleophiles by using the highly active ruthenium catalyst 1. This method provides a route to antidepressants such as (-)-fluoxetine from (S)-ephedrine (see scheme; Cp* = η5-C5Me5, TBAT = tetrabutylammonium triphenyldifluorosilicate).