One of Hollywood’s biggest talent agents has told CNBC that the sexual advances of studio boss Harvey Weinstein were “disgusting.”

Ariel Emanuel, the co-CEO of entertainment agency William Morris Endeavor (WME), also suggested that Weinstein’s namesake company must have known about his activities.

Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he said: “It was disgusting, and it seems as if the board knew and something should have been done about it a lot earlier.”

Weinstein has repeatedly denied accusations of nonconsensual sex and said he did not retaliate against any women for refusing his advances.

Emanuel, previously described as “the pre-eminent power player” in Hollywood, said he didn’t believe Weinstein’s activities were an open secret across the movie industry.

But he maintained that people close to the situation must have been aware of his predatory nature around women.

“Harvey didn’t treat anybody decently but what he did to people that were less powerful, and anybody that does that to anyone less powerful, nobody should put up with that,” Emanuel said.

“And if people did know about it, and it seems that people did know about it based on the way that they wrote the contracts, that’s not appropriate.”

It has been reported that Harvey Weinstein had a contract drawn up in which the board of his film company could not terminate his employment if he paid off women accusing him of sexual harassment with his own money.

WME represents the National Football League and ice hockey’s National Hockey League. The firm also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Miss Universe competitions.