John Howard ’s former chief of staff, Arthur Sinodinos , has stepped onto the board of Sydney-based private coal company Blackwood Coal as a non-executive chairman ahead of a proposed public offering this quarter.

Blackwood, 38 per cent owned by listed Argonaut Resources on an undiluted basis, is looking to raise up to $12 million after acquiring a portfolio of coal exploration permits in the Bowen, Surat/Moreton and Galilee coal basins in Queensland.